Tales of Hope
by bloodlustw
Summary: Six months has passed since the destruction of all fractured dimensions. Peace has once again returned to the spirit and human world. However, peace never lasts too long. With Exodus still running a muck and tension between the two nations strong as ever, danger is never too far away.
1. Six Months Later

So, recently I have been completely obsessed with Tales of Xillia, mainly the sequel. I cannot seem to get myself away from playing that amazing game. In about my fifth playthrough of it, my mind began to wander and I started contemplating my own version of it. Well, here's the beginning of it. I already have a lot more in my head, I just wanted to get the beginning/intro out of the way. I haven't written in a few years so I feel kind of rusty. I hope you guys like it! :)

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Helioborg Research Station – Entrance

Crowds of reporters pushed against each other as they attempted to be the first to have the initial glimpse of spyrites. A mere rope was the only barrier separating them them and their scoop. On the other side were a dozen hospital patients, sitting on a couple benches. Despite the grand number of people in the front square, not a sound was heard besides the shuffle of feet. As soon as the door opened however, the silence completely vanished. As multiple small creatures walked through the door, voices erupted. The glowing animals didn't seem to take notice whatsoever as they each went to a specific patient. Following the last spyrite, their creator Jude Mathis, entered the spotlight. The instant he showed himself, the reporters went crazy. Each of them wanted their own questioned answer and no one was willing to wait for the other.

Grouped up behind the chaos were the true supporters of the doctor. Truly happy to see their ally and friend succeed were Alvin, Elize, Elle, and Leia. Not a word traded between them as the watched Jude doing his best to answer all the questions he could. A few minutes after the reveal, fellow doctors left the building and assisted in answering questions including Balan and Mary.

"They're so cute!" Elize exclaimed as he eyes twinkled.

"I know! Right?" Leia chimed in.

"Totally!" Elle added.

Alvin gave a side glace at Leia as he commented, "I'm surprised you're not fighting to ask Jude questions."

"Oh, I already did," she answered, not taking her eyes off her childhood friend. "I got an early look in yesterday and already gave my editor the article."

"Well, look at you thinking ahead for once."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, glaring up at him.

He grinned and patted her on the back, "good job."

Not expecting the praise, she couldn't help but stutter, "th-thanks."

"Good way to find a way to be alone with him," he said as his grin grew.

"Hey!" she yelled at him as her cheeks flared. "Had nothing to do with that!"

He checked his watch while laughing at her. Realizing what time it was he stood up strait saying, "I gotta go meet with Yurgen soon."

"Then get out of here already," she said as she turned her back to him with her arms crossed.

"Heh, see ya later," he said waving his arm as he left the center.

"Just ignore him Leia, some people will never change," Elize consoled her.

"Yeah..." After a sigh she looked back at Jude saying, "I can't believe it's already been six months."

"Yeah..."

"Oh! That one's so cute! What do you think Rollo?" Elle questioned the cat as she picked him up.

"How has she been doing?" Leia asked quietly.

"She's been doing a lot better recently. Going to school is helping her. Though I can tell she still really misses him..."

"Yeah... I don't know if that'll ever go away."

"Hey," Elle spoke up, looking over at the two.

"Yeah? What is it Elle?" Elize answered.

"There's something going on with Balan," she said as she pointed over to him.

The three looked over at him curiously. He turned his back to the reporters so they wouldn't pay mind to him but the girls could still see that he was on his GHS. He seemed very concerned about whatever was going on at the other end. Just a few seconds after watching him, his eyes widened and instantly looked over at Jude. The young doctor had completed his announcement as was answering miniscule questions at this point so Balan had no problem going right up to him. Just after telling him something, Jude became just as shocked. He went over to Mary. As soon as she nodded, the two ducked underneath the rope barrier and hastily fled the center completely ignoring the females.

"What was that about?" Leia asked, looking in the direction of the exit.

"I have no idea," Elize answered.

"Well since they left can we leave too, Rollo and I are starving," Elle said.

"Meow!" Rollo added.

"I guess..."

"Let's go Leia, you know that if he really does need our help he'll call," Elize said trying to cheer her up.

Trigleph Port – Inn – Lobby

"Man, that hit the spot!" Leia cheered as she finished her juice.

"Right? I didn't realize I was so hungry," Elize happily spoke.

"It was okay," Elle calmly said.

"Elle..."

Before the conversation became darker, Leia's GHS began to ring. She answered as soon as she could seeing that it was Jude calling her. What she didn't expect however, was that he was asking for some clothing. Despite being confused and not getting many details, she agreed. She invited Elize and Elle to go with her but they had to get ready for school next day. Since Leia had spare clothing with her already in her bag she made her way back to her destination.

Trigleph – Rodo Apartments – 2F – Balan's Room

Leia knocked on the door, eager to find out what has been going on since the call Balan got at the demonstration. Jude opened the door right away to let her in. She handed him the clothing and he took them with an empty smile. Before she could question just what was going on she took notice to Balan working on something. As she approached, she couldn't help but notice rags soaked in a red liquid. Concerned, she turned the corner to fully see what was going on. Balan was attempting to clean blood off a figure she's never seen before. She glanced back at Jude's sullen expression. Once he noticed her gaze he let out a heavy sigh. He then attempted to explain the situation to her, but his jaw wouldn't budge. Instead, he looked back at the still form. Once Balan was finished cleaning all he could, he stood up straight and looked over at Leia.

"Is it possible for you to change this woman's clothing for us. It'll be inappropriate for either of us to do it," Balan requested.

"Sure thing..." she responded in a soft voice.

Jude nodded as a thanks and handed the clothes back to her. She nodded in return and grabbed them. As soon as she did, the two walked passed her and left the apartment. Feeling uncertain, Leia just stared a her for a moment. Her clothing was soaked in blood. Her face and hands were only clean thanks to Balan. Leia would have sworn that she was unconscious if it wasn't for her sitting up and her eyes wide open. However, she had yet to see her blink once. She attempted to introduce herself to the unfamiliar girl, do anything to get a reaction. There was no reaction to have. If it wasn't for Balan and Jude, she wouldn't even attempt what they're asking her to do. But because of them, slowly and cautiously, she was able to change out the dirty clothing for some fresh ones. As soon as she finished, she opened the door to let the men in. She was really beginning to get freaked out without them. The two thanked her as they reentered the room. The two walked up to the motionless girl, who was now lying down because it was too difficult to change her clothes otherwise.

"What is going on guys?" Leia asked, overly curious.

"I'm sorry Leia, but I really don't want to explain right now," Jude told her, as he picked the girl up so that he could carry her on his back. "I promise I'll tell you soon okay?"

"O-okay..."

Balan rested his hand on her head explaining, "we'll be bringing her to Helioborg. If you're still interested in the story, come by tomorrow."

"Got it."

"Hey Leia," Jude spoke softly.

"Yeah?" she asked back, looking in his direction.

He gave her a small smile saying, "thanks for your help."

She couldn't help but smile back as she told him, "any time."


	2. Peach Pie

Helioborg Research Station – Military Research Wing 13F – Laboratory

Many days have passed since the mystery girl was brought to the station. When not working on spyrites, Jude and Balan were trying with all their might to just get her attention. Jude was able to get a few of his friends come by, but none of them were really able to do anything. She was more mobile than before. She would do simple things such as walking around the station. Very recently she found a kitchenette and baked up a storm. She hasn't eaten a single bite of anything though. When Jude arrived in the morning, he found enough food to feed everyone there. However, he knew how she was before and she still wasn't near that. He had no idea what else to do. Balan kept trying to contact his cousin, for he is the only one that is relatively able to attempt to help. Not one call went through though for he's been busy with his own work. They didn't know what else to do now besides just wait and see if simply time can heal her. For now, the two of them where checking the results of the spyrite demonstration. If it wasn't for the girl, they would be over the moon. They didn't think they could achieve one-hundred percent success rate so quickly.

Just as the two were feeling hungry, the girl entered the lab with yet another dessert. She simply placed it on a cleared off desk. Just after that she went out to the roof. This was becoming routine for her to do. Balan couldn't help but take notice to the new scent in the room. Approached the cooled off pie. He cut out a tiny piece and tried it. Instantly his eyes widened. Not a moment later he was using his GHS. For what Jude could gather, he was actually able to get through to his cousin. Not only that, but apparently the pie tasted just like Leticia's.

Just after, Balan smirked at Jude saying, "he'll be right over."

"You really know how to work him, don't you?" Jude asked.

"Of course."

He really was right over too. Within half an hour he was at the doorway of the lab. He was trying to hide it but there were definite signs of him being out of breath. Balan couldn't help but laugh at him. Beginning to feel like he was just called over to be laughed at, he turned away to leave.

"Alfred," Balan called him.

"What?" Alvin questioned, not exactly hiding his annoyance.

When he turned back around, he saw his cousin handing him a plate with a piece of pie on it. He reentered the room and took the plate from him. For awhile he just stared at it. He didn't know if he'd be happy if it tasted the same or not. Jude walked over to him and rested his hand on his back. Alvin looked down seeing a comforting smile and his head hung. After a sigh he took a bite. Not a moment later did his eyes widen. It was truly an exact replica. He looked over at Balan, very curious of how this came to be.

Balan crossed his arms as he began to explain, "a friend of ours made that this morning."

"A friend huh?" Alvin asked back, very suspicious.

"Not now Alvin," Jude scolded him.

"Fine fine. So what is going on with this 'friend' of yours?"

Balan continued, "as you assume, she is a female. Something very traumatic happened with her and now she's little more than a robot."

"And?"

Jude added to the information, "you're our last resort. We already had everyone else try to make her crack and they all failed."

"So why do you assume I'll be any different?"

"Because... You're no stranger to trauma."

He sighed as he rubbed the back of his head, "fine, where can I find her?"

Jude pointed to the door leading to the roof saying, "out there."

"Take this," Balan told him, handing over a folding piece of paper.

Alvin put down the plate and took the paper asking, "and what's this?"

"If it does come to be that you can make her aware of her situation, give her this."

"This is becoming a burden already..." he muttered, dropping the paper in his pocket. "Wait, is this why you've been relentlessly calling me?"

"Yep," Balan calmly answered, already back to work.

He shook his head as he muttered, "let's just get this over with..."

With another sigh, he went over to the door and exited to the roof. Instantly he was hit by a strong gust of wind. He could hear papers going flying behind him. He shut the door before the lab was even more destroyed. Confused about the increase of wind, he looked up at the sky. He frowned a bit when he noticed it was darker than usual. He didn't know how long, but it wouldn't be too much time until the skies opened up. Aware he didn't have much time, he wanted to get this over and done with. However, when he looked around, there was no one in sight. He started to feel that he was tricked, but he knew they were too serious for this right now. Still doesn't change that he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Just as he turned to go back inside, something caught the corner of his eye. When he turned back to face that direction again though, he once again saw nothing but the generator. Seeing that as the only possibility, he walked over to it. As he approached it, he saw long brown hair. He had to wait for the wind to die down in threat of getting attacked by the hair. Once the wind died down enough, he approached her. She didn't seem to notice him at all. She had a constant gaze into the distant fog. He kept a bit of a distance from her. She was sitting on the railing, her legs dangling over nothing. He simply leaned against the railing, and looked in the direction she was. He's seen that look before and knows that no matter what he says, nothing will get through to her. He attempted to study her out of his peripheral vision. Instantly he could tell that she was wearing Leia's clothes. They didn't seem to fit her quite right though. Despite being incredibly skinny, the outfit was still too small for her. Besides that, her eyes were sunken in. Even though he had no idea what has happened, he knew it had to be bad to be unaware of such exhaustion. Suddenly, there was another powerful gust of wind. He raised his arm to cover his eyes so that nothing blew into them. By doing so, he nearly missed the female losing her balance. She was on her way to plummeting to her death.

"Shit!" he cursed under his breath.

He reached over and was just barely able to grab her wrist. For a moment, he let her just hang there as he caught his breath. The last time he went through this, he couldn't save the girl. His head was immediately filled with flashbacks. He was frozen. It took him a few moments to realize he was hearing something."

"-up..." He looked down seeing the girl looking up at him completely terrified, "please help me up..."

He nodded and pulled her up as quickly as he could. The moment he had her back on her feet, she collapsed. He sat down next to her with a heavy sigh. He looked over, seeing her on her hands and knees, shaking like a leaf. He rested his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. When she looked at him, he saw how truly pale she was.

"You okay?" he asked her.

She nodded and whispered, "thank you..."

"Hey, why don't we go inside before anything else happens?"

She nodded once again. He nodded in return and stood up. He handed her his hand before she even started. She took his help and slowly rose to her feet. It was obvious that she was still shaken. It began to rain so he rested his hand on her back to give her a small push. He pushed her just enough so that she'd walk in front of him. The rain began to pour as soon as they reached the laboratory door, barely avoiding getting soaked. They completely ignored the gazes of the scientists as they walked through the room. He led her through the stairway and down a few stairwells. At the end of the walk, they reached a locked door. He entered a password into the keypad and the door opened right away. He gave her another push and they entered the room. The door shut right after they entered. The only item in the room was a couch, so there was no question of where to go from there. They both sat down with heavy sighs. For a bit, they simply sat there letting what just happened wash over them.

Once Alvin was sick of the silence, he looked over at her saying, "you look like a mess."

"Yeah, I know..." she responded softly.

"You don't care?"

"Recently? No," she answered with a bitter smirk.

"So what exactly happened to you? Those two wouldn't explain it to me."

"Really?"

"Is that so surprising?"

"Heh... They've changed their strategy it seems... They told what happened to me to everyone else they called in to talk to me."

"You seem way more aware than they gave credit."

With yet another sigh, she leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. She then told him, "just because I'm aware, doesn't mean I'm not grieving."

"What happened for you to grieve over?"

"My parents died a few days ago."

The way she said it so matter-of-fact bothered him. He knew instantly that she wasn't telling him the whole story so he asked, "what really happened?"

"Why would you question my words?"

"If you're not lying, tell me the whole story."

"Do you really even care? I can tell them you tried to help and you'll be off the hook."

"Were you so stubborn with the others?"

"Why does it matter? All of you that have come here only did so because of the constant calling. I'm sick of it. I just want to be left alone."

He studied her for a few moments before concluding, "that's not true at all, is it?"

"What do you know?"

He smirked bitterly and put his hands behind his head before saying, "I know more than you think. I've been through my own share of shit."

"...Really? Like what?" she quietly asked, looking over at him.

"Hey, I ain't spilling if you're not."

She looked down at her hands that she balled into fists whispering, "fair enough..."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her over to him. She looked up at him confused. He looked down at her saying, "take your time in telling me, but just so you know I'm not letting you go until you tell me."

"If I agree to tell you, will you let me go?"

"Nope. Oh, and if you fight me I'll just have to hold you tighter."

She frowned and looked back down at her hands. Before she was willing to tell him she had to know, "why are you trying so hard?"

"I know how you're feeling. I will not say more until you do."

"Fine... You win."

"Good."

With one last sigh, she gave into his demand, "for as long as I can remember, my mother had been sickly. She could never really do too much without getting exhausted. Because of that, my father and I always took care of her. Despite that though, everything was perfect. That all ended when the Schism disappeared." When she felt him twitch, she nodded telling him, "Jude already told me how it happened. I can understand why it happened." He nodded and she continued, "when it happened my mother fell into a coma. Simply broke my father. We couldn't find what was wrong and so I went looking for help. Bet you couldn't guess who I ended up finding."

"I wonder..."

"Balan was the first one I found, but in the beginning he turned me away. Jude had convinced him otherwise during my second visit. He's such a do-gooder." Alvin couldn't help but laugh at that and so she asked him, "so he's always like that?"

"Too much of one if you ask me."

She smiled for a moment only to lose it as she continued, "even with their help they couldn't do anything for her. Though with my father being the smooth-talker he was, he was able to convince them to help find us an apartment. The one that was across from Balan's was empty so it worked out that if something were to happen it wouldn't be too much of a nuisance for someone to stop by. But, with nothing actually working, my father just fell more and more into a deep depression. A few days ago when I went home I was already on the phone with Balan just to give him an update which had just become routine. Just as I opened the door I heard a loud bang. So, of course I immediately go and check on my parents. What messed me up was not just seeing my mother shot, but my father shooting himself right in front of me. I got covered in his blood and everything."

Alvin's eyes widened and he looked down at her concerned. He couldn't figure out how she could be so nonchalant about something that horrific that happened this recently. Taking note of his gaze, she looked up at him. She seemed confused by his concern which concerned him even more.

"You haven't grieved at all, have you?" he questioned her.

"Everyone does in different ways. What makes you think you know so much?" she asked back.

He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand saying, "a deal is a deal."

Focusing his gaze up at the ceiling, he explained everything that happened to him from Leticia, to Gilland, to Presa and everything else in between. She couldn't stop watching him explain his demons. What happened to her feels like child's play. After a moment of silence, he looked down at her with his own version of an empty smile.

"Balan had me try a piece of the pie you made this morning. Tasted just like my mother's. Didn't think I'd ever have it again."

"Is that a good or bad thing?"

"You know, I wondered the same and I still don't really have an answer."

"Oh..."

Ruffling her hair with his free hand, he told her, "so as you can now see, I understand quite well."

"How? How did you deal with all that?" she asked him shocked.

"I did snap. After feeling like I lost everything, I tried to kill all I had left at the moment. I ended up shooting Leia and would have killed Jude if he didn't beat me to the ground. Thinking about that time makes me feel like a total ass. If it wasn't for those two and the rest of the group... I don't want to think where I'd be or what I'd be doing right now. I owe them a lot. But... don't tell them I said that, okay?" She covered her mouth with her hand and chuckled very softly. "Hey! Are you laughing at me?"

"Maybe..."

"I will remember that, but for now I just remembered something." She coked her head in confusion as he dug out the paper from his pocket. "Balan told me to give this to you."

She frowned and took it from him. After unfolding the paper she froze. He rested his head against hers so that he could look at it as well. Instantly he could tell it was a note to her from her father. He felt no ounce of guilt for reading it. Better read it so that he wouldn't have to get the answers out of her again anyway.

 _I know what I'm about to do is going to hurt you, but I can't stand it anymore. Life without your mother is no life at all. We both know that there is nothing at this point that will wake her up. And I want you to finally live your own life. You have spent all your time taking care of your mother. You've never done anything just because you wanted to. Just before the Schism vanished, your mother and I bought you something that would have, still will give you a career that we knew would be perfect for you. It's still at our home. If you can ever get yourself to forgive me for this horrid sin, go get it. I just hope you never forget that your mother and I love you very much. I'm sorry._

The two sat there, very still. Alvin read it a couple times before he looked at her. When he did, he couldn't help but frown. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. He tried to turn her and pull her to him so that he could properly hold her, but she fought against him. He frowned down at her.

Desperately trying to hide the cracking in her voice she asked him, "I don't want to ruin your clothes... Aren't they high quality..?"

He smiled a bit, feeling impressed, "just because you were able to tell, I'll allow it."

This time when he tried to hold her, she didn't fight. She simply didn't have the will left. The instant he had both arms around her, she fully broke down. When she grasped onto the front of his jacket, he tightened his grasp on her and rested his chin on her head. It wasn't too long until his shirt was absorbed enough with her tears that he could feel them. The second he did, he began to run his fingers through his hair. He finally understood why his cousin was so persistent in summoning him here. Even though their situations are different, he can understand her pain. After a few more minutes, she did quiet down. She wouldn't back away from him though. He didn't dare push her away either, knowing how fragile her state is. Less than a minute later however, she quickly backed away from him. He was nearly knocked off the couch from such a tug. When he looked at her again, he took note to her hunched over holding her head. He rested his arm on the top of her head and bent over to examine her face.

"What's going through your head now?" he asked her curiously.

"I don't know anymore..." she muttered. "Too many thoughts..."

"Understandable, but what would make you react the way you did?"

She let out a shaky sigh and leaned back. She gave him a side glance before answering, "my dad wore a similar cologne..."

"Are you saying that I remind you of him?"

"Parts... Besides the cologne, he was very touchy-feely..."

"I was wondering why you weren't putting up much of a fight," he said as he wrapped his arm back around her.

She nodded and let out another shaky sigh. After a few seconds of silence she questioned, "putting all the clues together, is it safe to assume that you're Alvin?"

He nodded and answered, "you got it."

"They all mentioned you at some point... Leia, Elize, Rowan... And of course Jude... The term kindred spirits came up a few times..."

"Those guys..."

"They really respect you..."

He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand and turned his head away from her. Despite his efforts, she was still able to see his burning cheeks. She couldn't help but find his reaction cute and chuckled. Beginning to get irritated, he looked back down at her with an eyebrow arched. She simply stared back up at him, not feeling like she was in any danger. He moved his arm from her shoulders to her waist and instantly began to tickle her. She shrieked and tried to get away, but his grasp on her was too tight. Grinning widely, he continued tickling her. Going straight from crying to laughing uncontrollably was too much for her so she tried desperately to pry his hand away. With his free hand though, he was just able to grab both of her wrists. In having no other choice, she used all her power to knock them both off the couch.

"You're really heavy..." she groaned.

Her plan seemed to have worked to get him to stop tickling her, but now his entire form was on her. His back was hurting a bit from her form, but he found it just too funny. He just stared at the ceiling.

"You brought this upon yourself," he calmly responded.

She pouted and gave up. He laughed and got off her so that he'd sit on the floor next to her.

"You're evil..." she muttered as she sat up.

He laughed even harder at that before responding, "yeah... That's nothing new."

"Geesh..."

"By the way, I never did get your name."

While straightening her clothes, she answered, "Rhea."

"Rhea huh? That's nice."

"Thanks..."

Grinning again, he ruffled her hair. She frowned and attempted to fix her hair. He pulled a comb out of his pocket and handed it to her. She took it with a quiet thanks and properly began fixing her hair. He leaned back against the couch and let his mind wander to what they discussed. He completely zoned out. He came back to reality when a hand was waved in front of his face. He blinked and looked over at its owner. Instantly a fresh coat of red appeared on his cheeks when he looked at Rhea. Her extreme bedhead look was gone and was replaced by waist-length wavy hair.

Frowning, she covered his eyes saying, "don't look at me like that..."

She felt a blush appear on her own face and she really didn't want him to see that. So, when he reached for his wrist, she grabbed a cushion from the couch. The moment he moved her hand, she counterattacked with the pillow. With his free hand, he reached over and tickled her. After a squeak, she jumped away from him. She ended up hitting her head on the wall so her eyes closed in reflex. She attempted to hold her head but her hands were trapped.

"I hope you realize that you brought this upon yourself," he told her.

She opened her eyes and couldn't help but take notice of him on top of her. He smirked as her face completely flushed. Being this close to her, he truly noticed her eyes for the first time. Ignoring the red rings from when she cried, he saw that her left eye was green while her right was blue. He felt like he was being hypnotized by them. Before he knew it, he lowered himself just enough for their lips to connect. Not picking up on any resistance from her, the kiss quickly deepened. If it wasn't for his phone suddenly ringing, he didn't know how far he'd try to go with her. He got off her and backed up just enough so that she could also get up without colliding into him.

He took his GHS out of his pocket and answered, "hey Yurgen."

While he talked to his partner, she got herself to sit up. She couldn't hear his conversation for she couldn't hear anything over her racing heart. She stole a glance of him seeing that he turned his back to her. Not one ounce of him reminded her of her father anymore. It would be quite odd if he did. But it was still strange for her to be comfortable around him with that first idea gone and washed away. He sighed as he put his phone back in his pocket.

"I have to leave," he told her, not turning around.

"Okay..." she responded softly.

He glanced back at her seeing that she was looking away, rubbing the back of her neck. He smiled a bit as he asked, "you feel just as awkward as I do, don't you?"

She looked over at him and returned the smile answering, "seems so."

He shook his head and rose to his feet. After he brushed himself off, he looked down at her seeing that she was just watching him. He smirked as he offered his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up. She would have instantly fallen back to her knees if he didn't catch her. He picked her up and sat her back on the couch. He knelt down in front of her with a frown. He then rested his hand on her forehead and cheeks. Just after realizing that she didn't have a fever, her stomach growled loudly. He laughed as her face returned to a light shade of red.

"You need to go eat and then get some rest," he told her.

"Yeah..." she agreed, resting her hand on her waist.

"Do you think you can make it back on your own? If I go with you I'll be held hostage by those two and I really do have to leave."

"I'll be fine, I'll use the elevator."

"Hey, you got your GHS on you?"

She shook her head and explained, "it fell when I nearly fell."

"What were you doing there anyway? Sitting there looked so uncomfortable."

"I mainly just wanted some fresh air. And as for sitting there, I was mainly using my arms as supports to hold myself up. I liked the view but it's not as nice through the metal bars."

He nodded in agreement and then looked at his phone. His eyes widened at the time and stood back up. "I really have to go now."

"Then go." With one more nod he walked over to the door. Before he left the room she called out to him, "hey Alvin?"

"Yeah?" he asked, glancing back at her.

Smiling at him she told him happily, "thank you."

He nodded and left.


	3. Welcome Home

Drellin – Central Plaza

"It feels so strange to be back here..." Rhea whispered.

Alvin nodded in agreement before asking, "you want to get some food first? I can't see you exactly wanting to eat afterwards."

"Sure."

He rested his hand on her head before walking over to the food stand. While he did that, she made her way over to the railing and gazed out to the scenery. As Alvin was getting the food, he kept an eye on her. Ever since they first talked he can't seem to look away. A few days have passed since they first met and he's visited her everyday since then. They haven't really done anything besides chat. He has been trying to convince her to visit her home so that she could at least get her clothing. Today she finally agreed. He tried to get others to go with them knowing more people meant more support, but all their friends were busy. And truth be told, he was doing the very bare minimum of his own work. He knew that he can't help her this much for too much longer. He just wanted to make sure that when he goes back to working his normal hours that she'll be fine on her own. He nearly feels like her guardian.

"Sir?" the clerk called him.

He was brought back to reality and took the food with a thanks. He, then, brought the food to the table closest to where Rhea was. When the food was placed he called out to her, but she didn't respond in the least. Instead of calling out to her again, he simply picked her up. She looked up at him as if he were crazy which just made him laugh. He brought her over to the table and sat her on a chair. Still with a smile, he sat opposite of her.

"You're a jerk," she told him.

He shrugged and responded, "I tried calling you. It's your fault you weren't paying attention."

"Whatever..." she mumbled as she began to eat.

He grinned victoriously and started to eat as well. After a few minutes of silence he asked her, "while we're here anyway, do you want to get a GHS?"

"Might as well, need to get one anyway. That way you can actually do your job and not feel compelled to visit me all the time."

It freaked him out a bit how she was saying what he had just been thinking and responded, "how did you..?"

She chuckled softly as she answered, "I heard Jude talking. He was saying something about how strange it was for you to suddenly have a bunch of free time."

"Freaking honors student..."

She reached over and ruffled his hair. For a moment he froze, but once he was over it he glared at her. Her response to him was the grin that he always gives her when he's being mischievous. She didn't care about the revenge he'll have later at the moment. Just being able to grin at him in general is making her feel powerful. He crossed his arms, leaned back, and arched an eyebrow. She couldn't help but laugh at him trying to be high and mighty. With a sigh, he shook his head and just began eating again. It wasn't too long until they finished eating. As soon as they were standing, he had an arm around her shoulders. When she looked up seeing a dangerous look in his eyes, she tried to free herself. He only tightened his grip. Before she tried again, he started walking and made her go with him. She just let her head hang. Quietly, he led her over to a store that sold phones. Even when looking at the different models, he wasn't letting her go.

"Rhea? Is that you?" a voice called from behind them.

Alvin let go of her and she turned around only to frown, "oh... Hi Ryan..."

"Man, it's been forever! How have you been?"

She grasped onto Alvin's jacket trying to signal him as she answered, "fine..."

Alvin took a GHS off the wall and turned around so that he could hold onto her shoulders. He then looked down at the boy he easily towered over asking, "you a friend of hers?"

He backed up a bit before answering, "something like that..."

"Well nice to meet you but we have to leave now."

"Oh... Okay..."

She looked up at her companion saying, "let's go."

He nodded and they went over to the checkout, completely ignoring the watchful eyes of Ryan. Barely beating him to the punch, Rhea took out some gald and payed for the GHS herself. Alvin watched surprised. He assumed she had nothing on her at all. Once the transaction was over, he took the bag with the phone in it and they left the store. Instantly the tension left her body.

He looked down at her confused asking, "what was that about?"

Before she could answer, her wrist was firmly grabbed and was pulled right out of his embrace. Before she knew it, she was fully embraced by Ryan who pleaded, "please don't go..."

"Let go of me," she hissed at him.

Enraged, Alvin approached and told him, "let go of her before I hurt you."

"But..." Ryan begged, tightening the grasp on her which ended up hurting her.

Just before Alvin knocked him out, Rhea kneed him as hard as she could. Even Alvin winced. As Ryan staggered backwards, she roundhouse kicked him which sent him flying into the fountain in the center of the plaza. Dumbfounded, Alvin just stared at her. After sighing, she looked up at him. She smiled a bit at his expression. He tried to find the right words to say, but none came to mind. Just wanting to exit the square now, she held onto his free hand and started walking. He smiled and followed her.

Walking down a side street he asked her, "let me try this again, what was that about?"

She sighed before answering, "Ryan... He used to be a coworker of mine. No one was really friends with him so I tried to get along with him and he immediately took it the wrong way. He's just shy of being a stalker. He will not take a hint. That wasn't even the first time I hit him."

Frowning, he let go of her hand and securely wrapped his arm around her shoulders. To change the topic he asked, "where did you learn those moves?"

She smiled a bit and answered, "my father taught me how to defend myself."

"He really does sound like a great man."

"He really was..."

She stopped walking and ran her fingers through her hair. He looked down at her concerned. "We're here..." she told him softly, looking to her right.

He looked over seeing a decrepit building. A chill ran down his spine at the crumbling architecture. Not fazed by it in the least, she opened the door and entered it. The hallway inside wasn't nearly as destroyed, but it still wasn't pretty. The wallpaper torn and written on while the carpet was torn and moist. She made her way to the end of the hallway and opened the escape door that led to a stairwell. The higher they climbed, the cleaner the walls became. He lost count of how many floors they passed up. They reached the top after a few minutes. She opened this exit door and went through. His eyes widened at the difference. This hallway looked like it was just completed. The walls were freshly painted and the floor had a nice long rug on it. The only door was surrounded by dead flowers. No doubt that if she still lived there, they would be vibrant. She walked up to the door only to freeze in place. Not a doubt came to him that just behind this door is where she used to live happily with her parents. He slowly rubbed her shoulder to give her support. She looked up at him, already on the brink of tears. He frowned and pulled her to him.

"We can come back later if you can't go in now," he told her.

She shook her head and told him, "this won't ever be easy. I just want to get it over with."

He nodded and let go of her. She picked up one of the many flowerpots and picked up a key that was hidden underneath. She put it in the lock and after a twist the door opened. Instantly, the scent of cologne filled their nostrils. Taking a deep breath, she entered her home. As she walked through, her eyes did not leave her shoes. Realizing it, Alvin held her hand. Her feet stopped moving but her head wouldn't rise. Before he could look at her face, he noticed droplets hit the floor.

"Rhea..." he whispered sadly.

"Damn it..." she muttered bitterly, running her fingers through her hair with her free hand.

"Maybe for now let's just go to your room so you can get your stuff?"

"Okay..."

She grasped onto his hand and continued walking. It was still too difficult to raise her head. She walked over to another door at the back of the home and opened it. Not having much of a choice any longer, she lifted her gaze. Instantly she fell to her knees. He freed his hand from hers and picked her up and sat down on the bed, sitting her on his lap. He had one arm tight around her waist his other hand was stroking her hair as she just cried her eyes out. After a few minutes, she settled down but the tears still fell.

"Why did this happen..?" she whispered, more to herself.

He closed his eyes tightly and doubled his grasp on her. He completely understands how she feels. Thinking about his own mother now, he buried his face in her hair. Sensing his sadness, she wrapped her arms around him. It really surprised him how he can't seem to hide anything from her. No matter how he felt, around anyone else he can easily lie and suppress whatever he's feeling. But in front of her he's as vulnerable as a child.

"I can't stand this... I want to leave..." she mumbled.

"Yeah..." he whispered back.

They let go of each other and she stood up. As she walked over to the closet, she wiped her tears away. He just watched her as she packed her clothing. He was trying to figure out how she exactly fit into his life. He's only known her for a few days but feels like so much longer. He know truly understands why Balan was so insistent for him to meet her.

"Alvin?" she softly called to him.

He blinked back to reality and looked over seeing that she was sitting next to him. Slowly, she reached over and rested her hand on his cheek. He blinked in confusion when she wiped away a stray tear that he didn't even realized he shed. Once it was gone, she lowered her hand and gave him a sad smile. He leaned forward to kiss her but she rested her fingertips on his lips.

"Imagine how depressing it would be if we only kissed in these types of situations..." she explained to him, lowering her hand.

"Heh... You got a point there..." he spoke softly.

She nodded and stood up. She walked over to her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. When she looked back at him he got up as well. They left her room and walked over to the front door. Just before leaving, Alvin remembered something and grabbed her forearm. She looked at him confused until he reminded her of what the note said. Her father really wanted her to get something out of his room. She groaned lightly, just really ready to leave now but she did agree. She took off the backpack and set it against the door. She walked over to her parents' bedroom and opened the door without hesitation. Similar to the front door and her own room, she didn't move from the entrance right away. He bent over to look at her expression and was surprised to see that her eyes weren't even watering. After a moment, she entered the room and looked around.

While exploring she told him, "for as long as I can remember, my mother was always suffering. My father and I did all we possibly could but it really didn't help her. All we could really do was distract her from the pain. Maybe now she can finally rest..."

Her words hit home with him. He sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall saying, "my mom, she was the same way..."

"Heh... Guess they weren't kidding about us being depressing versions of kindred spirit."

"Yeah..."

She made her way over to the closet and opened it. In there she found a gift with her name on it. She picked it up and walked over to him. Instead of making him stand, she sat next to him. He looked over when she opened the box. Inside was a state of the art camera. Her eyes widened as she took it out. While studying it, she noticed there were fingerprints on the screen. Her eyes widened and she took the spare batteries out of the box and inserted them into the camera. After she did so she was able to turn it on. Her eyes began to water again when she noticed that there were a handful of pictures already taken. The first picture was her parents making a funny face. As she laughed, tears began to fall from her bloodshot eyes. He smiled when seeing it and wrapped his arm around her. She rested her head on his shoulder as she cycled through the other pictures. One picture her with her father, one with her mother, and the final was her parents smiling normally.

Even though her face was tear stained, she looked up at him with a smile saying, "thank you for making me come here..." He smiled a bit in return and kissed her forehead. Once she backed away, she turned off the camera and put it back in the box. Closing the lid she asked aloud, "they're really gone, aren't they?"

He nodded and whispered, "yeah..."

He felt like he was accepting his mother's death all over again. She nodded back and stood up, holding onto the box. This time, she offered her hand to him. He took it and she helped him stand. They knew now, there was nothing else for her here that she needs. Everything else would just hold her back now. They made their way back to the front door. Before she could pick it up, he picked up her backpack and put it over his shoulder. She gave her thanks and they left. Out of habit, she locked the door and put the key back underneath the flowerpot.

As they began to walk down the stairs, they both spoke, "I need a drink."

Trigleph – Inn – Lobby

Both Alvin and Rhea were exhausted. They both also knew that if they tried to sleep it would not be restful. So now they were both sitting at the bar, each on their third drink. They were just trying to clear their head of all the depressing crap, even if that mean getting completely hammered. They were just barely feeling a buzz when getting interrupted.

"There you are Alvin!" an annoyed voice called out to him.

He turned around and responded, "oh, hey Yurgen."

"Look, I understand that you've been preoccupied lately but does that mean you can't even answer your GHS?"

He frowned and took it out of his pocket. Examining it he apologized, "I didn't realize it died."

"Look, I need you to focus. Can you not handle the job anymore?"

"I'm sorry Yurgen. I promise starting tomorrow I'll be back."

"Are you sure?"

Rhea bowed deeply saying, "it's all my fault, I'm so sorry. Please don't blame him."

"Rhea..." Alvin whispered, surprised.

"I promise I'll stay out of the way, okay?" she asked, looking up at Yurgen.

He sighed and responded, "alright. I'll see you tomorrow then Alvin."

"Yeah," Alvin softly responded.

Yurgen nodded and left. Once she knew he was gone, Rhea apologized again, "sorry for taking up so much of your time..."

He shook his head saying, "it was my choice to see you. I wanted to make sure that when you are by yourself you'll be okay."

"Alvin..." She smiled a bit before saying, "thank you." He blushed very lightly and pushed her gently. She laughed a bit and finished her drink. "I just got an idea."

"Yeah?"

"I'm going to leave for awhile."

"Huh?!"

Smiling at his shock she continued, "my stuff is already packed up." She looked down at the backpack he put down between them. "My father wanted me to do something with the camera and I'm pretty sure I know what that is." She looked back at him seeing that he was unsure and so she continued, "and if I'm not around to distract you, you can get back to work."

"I guess..." he pouted.

She smiled and patted the top of his head saying, "so set up that GHS for me so that we would still be able to communicate."

He nodded and took it out. While doing so he told her, "I'm only letting you go because this is the happiest I've ever seen you without me forcing it."

She laughed and poked his temple saying, "you don't own me."

He shook his head and asked her, "where will you go?"

"I don't know. I'm just going to leave and see where my feet take me. I won't leave Elympios."

"So I guess you want to go back now huh? You need to rest up if you're doing something like that."

"Yeah."

He finished setting up the GHS and handed it to her saying, "I'll take you back then."

"I appreciate it," she told him as she took the phone.

He paid for their drinks and picked up her bag. She got a secure grasp on the camera box and followed suit. As they left the inn, he grasped tightly onto her shoulders as if he'd never do it again.

* * *

So, I'm just curious because I can't find it online, does anyone know what GHS stands for? :)


	4. Enter the King

Marksburg – Elym Hotel

Rhea sat tiredly at the bar and ordered a drink. While waiting, she turned on the camera that was fastened around her neck. While scanning through the gallery, she thought about her journey. It's hard for her to believe that three weeks passed by. It was the perfect therapy for her. She felt at complete ease. Of course, that could be just because of how tired she was. She managed to survive the trip, but was not prepared for it. Alvin called her everyday without fail. He gave her the motivation to continue and not simply give up. After the first week, she couldn't sleep until chatting with him. A small smile appeared on her lips and she continued looking through the pictures. The final picture taken however, killed the smile. Before entering the hotel, she was exploring Marksburg a bit. She had seen a crowd gathered that struck her interest. Her goal on the trip was to take a picture of anything that caught her eye and so she took the shot. She couldn't help but notice a pair of eyes staring right back at her. It gave her the chills because she was at a distance, no one from that group should have seen her.

"Who are you?" a deep voice asked.

She looked next to her seeing a figure that very easily towered over her, sitting right next to her. Another chill ran down her spine as she realized he was the one that was looking back in the picture. There was a powerful presence around him that simply intimidated her.

"R-Rhea," she answered with a stutter.

"Are you a spy?"

He eyes widened immediately. She put her hands up in the air and shook her head quickly answering, "no!"

"Then what were you doing?"

"I was just taking a picture, see?" she explained, showing him the picture. "Your group simply caught my attention so I took a picture of it."

After looking at the screen he looked right into her eyes. She was completely frozen. After a moment, he nodded and she sighed in relief. Facing the bar again, she picked up the drink that was placed in front of her. She drank the whole drink in one gulp, just wanting to settle her nerves now. She assumed that he was going to leave after getting his answer, but he continued sitting there. Not only that, but he ordered a drink himself. Not wanting to seem suspicions by suddenly getting up, she just ordered another drink. While sitting there silently, she studied him out of the corners of her eyes. The main features that stood out were his long hair and even longer trench coat.

"If you don't mind me asking, who are you?" she asked quietly.

After a moment of silence, he answered calmly, "Erston." She nodded in understanding. She wanted to ask more but was too nervous of angering him. Very easily sensing her fear he told her, "you can relax."

"Was I that obvious?"

"Do you need to ask?"

She grinned and scratched the back of her head, feeling embarrassed. He couldn't help but smirk at her reaction. The bartender came by and placed their drinks down. Feeling much more at ease now, she was able to take her time on her drink. He, on the other hand, chugged his drink. He was ready to leave after finishing until his GHS went off. He pulled it out of his pocket and stared at it annoyed. She couldn't help but watch him fiddle with the machine. It was clear to see that it wasn't the message that angered him, but the device itself.

"Do you need help?" she offered.

After watching her for a moment, he accepted the offer. Already feeling comfortable around him, she leaned in and studied his GHS for a bit. Once she figured out what was confusing him, she showed him exactly what to do in such simple terms that a child would be able to understand. He nodded and took it back from her. She smiled and sat back up straight. After finishing with it, he put the GHS back in his pocket.

Feeling bolder thanks to the alcohol in her system, she reached over and poked his bangs as she told him, "I first thought it was because you couldn't see the screen through all this hair."

Unsure of how to respond to that, he simply blinked. Simply smiling now, she took her hand back and finished her drink. Just a moment later, strong arms wrapped around her tightly. A familiar scratching sensation on her cheek let her know exactly who it was. She looked up annoyed at Alvin. He pouted and tightened his grasp on her.

"You're late," she scolded him.

He rubbed his head against hers and pouted, "I'm sorry..."

Unable to hold back her smile any longer, she patted his cheek. He grinned and kissed her cheek, feeling overjoyed causing her to blush. He chuckled and loosened his grasp enough so that he could stand up straight. That's when he finally noticed her companion. Confusion quickly filled him.

"What are you doing here Gaius?" he asked. Gaius shot him a stern look which made him quickly rephrase, "I mean, what are you doing here Erston?"

"Gaius?" Rhea questioned, looking over at him. "What, is that a nickname of yours or something?" They both looked at her surprised making her question, "what?"

Alvin laughed while Gaius answered, "you could say that, but I prefer Erston."

She nodded in understanding and then looked up at Alvin stating, "you know a lot of people."

Still smiling, he nodded, "that I do."

"Oh," she stated, remembering something. "I got what you asked for."

His eyes lit up and he asked, "yeah?"

She chuckled and bent over. She then picked up two duffel bags and handed them to him. He took them and set them back on the floor. He opened them quickly and looked at its contents. Gaius glanced down seeing a large amount of materials. Even he was impressed by the amount. After zipping the bags back up he held back onto her. He was so overjoyed that he kissed her. She froze while her face became completely flushed. Once she was mobile again, she looked at him shocked.

"What?" he questioned grinning happily. "You told me not to kiss you when depressed. I'm very happy right now so it's allowed."

Her head fell as she muttered, "your logic..."

He chuckled before asking, "so, you ready to leave now?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Then let's go."

She nodded again. Before getting up though she took her wallet out. "Don't worry about it," Gaius told her as he just paid.

"You sure?" she asked him.

"As a thanks for your help."

She smiled and said, "thank you."

He nodded, stood up, and left. The two left behind just stared at the door for a moment. After shaking off his constant presence, she stood up and picked up her backpack. He picked up the two remaining bags and they left the hotel.

Trigleph – Central Station

Alvin and Rhea got off the train, chatting happily. They were catching up with everything that happened during the three weeks apart, as if they didn't talk all the time between the times of departure and arrival. He couldn't help but comment multiple times about her appearance. Compared to when he last saw her, she looked completely healthy. She no longer looked like she was starving and sleep deprived. Not just that but she was wearing clothing that fit her properly. By having an arm around her shoulders, he could feel that she was toned up as well.

As they walked through the streets of the city, he felt something jump on his arm. He looked over seeing a little creature on it. Before he freaked out, she looked over and picked it up. Looking closer at the creature, he was very confused for he's seen nothing like it. It had the body of a cat, ears of a fox, and acts like a dog. Apparently she found it on her journey and it's stayed with her since. It had been sleeping in her backpack before popping out. It jumped out of her hands and landed on her head. From there it lied down and curled up. She explained to him that this was a common thing for it to do. He just laughed and shook his head.

"Where are we going?" she asked him.

He had told her that he had a surprise for her which is why she was waiting for him to pick her up in the first place. "Soon," she simply told her.

"How soon?" she pouted. He had been dragging her clear across Trigleph. "My feet are killing me..."

"I can carry you if you want."

"I don't want."

"Then deal with soon."

"Fine fine..."

A few minutes later, they finally arrived at their destination. She looked up at him confused as they entered an apartment complex. He led her over to an elevator and took it to the fourth floor. From there, he led her to the end of the hallway. He turned to face the last door on the right and took a key out of his pocket. With it, he unlocked the door and they entered. She looked around confused at the bare apartment.

"I got this for you," he told her simply.

"Eh?!" she exclaimed, not expecting that in the least.

"Do you really want to keep staying at Helioborg?"

"Well... No."

"And Drellin's off limits. I know you don't want to go back to your old home and I don't like the idea of Kyle being around you either."

"How much does this cost?"

He shook his head and lifted up the duffel bags saying, "thanks to your collecting I'll be getting a good amount of gald. This is the least I can do."

She smiled in surrender and said, "thank you."

He nodded saying "of course."

"Then I'm going to wash up, I feel gross."

He let her go finally saying, "just don't fall asleep in there."

"Yeah yeah..." she walked into the bedroom, waving her arm at him.

The only thing in the bedroom was a bed and boy did it look inviting to her. She was completely exhausted. Even so, she knew she needed a shower. So, she entered the bathroom and took off her backpack. The creature jumped off her head just before she shut the door. She took off her clothes and stepped into the tub. She took a shower as quickly as she could. She dried off and put on a robe. Not having access to a hair dryer, she did her best to dry her hair with a towel which made it a huge mess. As soon as she left the bathroom she was surprised. In front of her was the bed with Alvin on it,patting the bed next to him.

"I know you're tired, so just come over here," he coaxed her.

She nodded in agreement and did little less than just collapse on it. He chuckled and pulled her to him just enough for her head to be on his chest. Once she was there, he held her securely.

"You still aware enough to talk for a moment?" he asked her.

"Yeah..." she answered softly.

"In a couple days there's going to be a gathering at Spirius for the new president. I'm going for work related reasons, but I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

"How formal is it?"

"Hmm... I would say pretty formal. Spirius is the biggest company in Elympios and all."

"Alright, I'll go..." she whispered, near sleep.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. Doing that made him chuckle as he said, "your hair is a mess."

"Hmm..."

Not a moment later, she was unconscious. When he was fully sure of that, he cautiously moved her off him and got up. He was already out longer than what he promised Yurgen. He doesn't feel guilty however as he looks down at her. To help replace his warmth, he covered her with the sheet and blanket. Before leaving the room, he kissed the side of her head. She mumbled lightly and curled up making him laugh softly. He then forced himself to leave before anymore time passed by. He put the key down for her on the only table in the living room, picked up the duffel bags, and left.

Spirius Corporation – 1F – Entrance

The day for a new chapter has come for the Spirus company. The large room was filled with all the big wigs you could think of from the new president to the king of Rieze Maxia. Alvin and Yurgen almost felt like servants to them. They were the providers of the nourishment for the celebration and with the amount of people there, the food was going fast. He was so busy in fact that he couldn't pick up Rhea like he had planned. He simply asked if she could come over by herself and so now he'll be surprised if she even shows up. For now, the food consumption has slowed down for now and so the two were taking a break. They took a seat on a bench against the wall. They were just drinking water to rehydrate themselves as they watched the gathering. Alvin couldn't help but find it amusing watching Leia attempting to interview all the attendees.

While observing, Yurgen nudged him. He looked over seeing that he was pointing to the other side of him. He turned to see Rhea approaching them. He couldn't help but do a spit take. She couldn't help but laugh at his reaction. He jumped to his feet and quickly went over to her. She was wearing a dark green silk dress that went down to her ankles. There was a slit on the left side that went up to her knee. Her high heels were a similar color to the dress. She was wearing mascara and lipstick, which for her who never wears makeup made her features stand out way more than usual. He had her turn around and noticed how she did her hair. Her hair was so long that she was able to make it into a bun at the back of her head but still had hair that came down from it that nearly reached her waist. When she faced him again she couldn't help but smile. She rested her hand underneath his chin and put pressure on it so that his mouth would shut.

"Aren't you a man of many words," she teased him, trying not to laugh.

"You look great," he told her.

She smiled, but before she could say anything Leia came over to them speaking happily, "hey Rhea!"

She smiled back at her saying, "hello Leia."

"You look so amazing. Makes me jealous..." she pouted.

"Thanks."

"So," Leia began, spinning her pen in her hand out of habit. "What exactly is going on with you two? Are you dating?"

"Eh?!" both Rhea and Alvin responded the same way at the same time.

"Hey Alvin," Yurgen called to him. "We got work to do."

"Alright," he answered. Suddenly unable to look at Rhea now, he told her looking at nothing at all, "I'll see you in a bit."

"S-sure..." she responded, also looking away.

He walked away, trying to keep his cool. Leia looked back and forth between them very confused. She was just about to ask Rhea why they acted the way they did but she had also walked away. She was now in the middle of the crowd, out of reach. Rhea was trying to get away from her because she wasn't expecting that question in the least. Her heart was pounding like crazy. Foolishly, she was watching only her feet as she walked and ended up bumping into another.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized instantly, raising her head along with her hands.

"It's alright young miss," Rowan smiled down at her.

"Oh, hello Rowan. Thank you so much for your help before," she said as she gave him a small bow.

"Oh, there's no need for that."

"Rowan," a deep voice came from behind her.

Recognizing it instantly she looked behind her seeing Gaius. They both became confused by each others presence in the room and so they asked at the same time, "why are you here?"

Rowan laughed a bit before asking, "how do you know each other?"

"We met at a bar a couple days ago thanks to misunderstandings," she answered, looking back at Rowan.

"Misunderstanding huh?" Rowan asked back, smiling at Gaius.

"None of your concern," he responded, crossing his arms.

"As you say," he spoke back, bowing slightly with this hand over his heart.

The air changed abruptly. Rhea looked around carefully and couldn't help but take notice that Gaius and Rowan were doing the same. All of a sudden, there was an explosion that shook the room. The chatter was instantly changed to screams. Gaius grabbed Rhea's arm and pulled her behind him, not fully sure of what to expect as of yet. With his other hand, he grabbed the hilt of his sword. Smoke quickly filled the area. As soon as it was difficult to see, bullets began to rapidly fire off. Rowan used a wind spirit arte to get rid of the smoke, but because there was no where for it to go all it did was circle around. It did clear just enough for Rhea to see a gunman right next to Gaius that he didn't notice. She freed her arm from his grasp and kicked him in the gut before he could shoot. She looked up at Gaius and he nodded at her. She nodded back. Civilians were quickly escaping through the now open front door. With it open now, Rowan was able to direct the smoke outside. With room becoming more visual, the terrorists were also becoming visible. The known heroes, plus Rhea, quickly resolved the situation. But, there's always that one stubborn member. Having assumed that the situation was resolved, Gaius stood up straight. Right after, he was attacked from behind. He was barely able to avoid damage, but his sword was knocked out of his grasp. Rhea quickly picked it up and got behind the attacker. Before he could do anything else, she put the blade to his neck, making him surrender instantly. A Spirius agent quickly came over and captured him. Knowing for a fact now that the threat was gone, she relaxed. Turning it around so that she wouldn't stab him, she returned the sword to Gaius.

"You saved my life," he stated, taking it from her.

"Oh, don't worry about it," she said quickly waving her hands in the air. "I simply did what my father taught me to do."

"Thank you."

She smiled saying, "you're welcome."

"Rhea!" Leia shouted to her from across the room.

She looked over alarmed, seeing that she was sitting next to a motionless Alvin. She was using healing spirit artes on him. Rhea's eyes widened and she ran across the room. She sat down on the other side of his unconscious form. A bit of blood pooled under his his head. Her eyes began to water and she very gently ran her fingers through his hair. Leia watched her sadly as she did her best to help.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked, hating seeing him like this.

"Do you have a cloth? Need to put pressure where he hit his head to help stop the bleeding."

Without thinking twice about it, she ripped the bottom of her dress where the slit was. She then folded it up so it would be a more proper bandage. Before she could do anything with it though, she asked, "where is he bleeding from?"

"Back of the head."

She nodded and very gently propped him up. His head rested right on her chest. She couldn't give a damn about that though. She found where he was bleeding from and used her makeshift bandage to put pressure on it. She used her other arm to hold him up. Leia got closer to her to keep using her spirit artes. After a little more than a minute passed, Alvin's eyes finally opened. He groaned in pain and tried to raise his hand to the point of pain but it was held down. He looked around confused, just trying to figure out what happened.

"Alvin..?" Rhea questioned quietly. He looked up at her and she whispered, "thank goodness..."

"What happened?" he asked.

"In protecting Yurgen from getting hit, you got hit instead and hit your head on a piece of rubble," Leia explained.

"Oh..."

"How are you feeling?" Rhea asked.

"Besides my head hurting? Magnificent..."

"Foolish boy..."

"What happened to Yurgen?"

"He got out," Leia told him.

"Good."

"Worry about yourself..." Rhea whispered, still very worried about him.

After a moment he told her, "I'll be okay."

"Yeah..."

"You ruined your dress."

"That doesn't matter... I just want you to be okay..."

"Right."

Rowan knelt down saying, "allow me to assist you."

"Thank you Rowan," Leia smiled at him.

With two of them now healing, Alvin was soon enough healed. He knew it right away and pushed against Rhea. She frowned a bit but let him go. He stood up, only to nearly collapse. Both Rowan and Leia caught him. Rhea stayed down though. She didn't know why but she could just tell that he didn't want her near him right now. It hurt her but she was happy enough just knowing that he'll be okay. The two stated that they would bring him to his home and they left. She just kept sitting there now, unsure of what to do.

Gaius walked up to her and asked, "are you alright?"

"Hmm? Yeah... I'm okay," she answered.

He offered his hand to her. For a moment she just stared at it. Immediately she was reminded of when Alvin did the same when they first met and was hit with a really bad vibe. Just before he took his hand back, she took his offer. He led her over to a bench. As soon as she sat down, he sat next to her. To distract her mind, she looked up at the huge hole in the ceiling where the explosion came from. You could easily see the floor above.

"Was it Exodus?" she asked him.

He followed her gaze and answered, "I believe so."

"Why does it keep happening? Why can't we just live in peace?"

"That's why I'm working so hard, so that one day we can achieve that peace."

"Huh?" he questioned looking over at him.

"It's almost refreshing for someone to hear both names and still don't know who I am."

"Erston?"

He closed his eyes and nearly smiled until someone walked up to them saying, "it's good to see that you're alright King Gaius."

He stood up and said, "you as well Chancellor Marcia."

Rhea's eyes widened in shock and Marcia looked down at her asking, "and who might you be?"

She stood up quickly to give her a bow, "my name is Rhea Ma'am, it's an honor to meet you."

Gaius added, "she's also my savior."

She smiled saying, "you can stand up straight.'

Rhea nodded and did so. She was too intimidated to look in either of their eyes though. She couldn't quite seem to grasp that she saved the king's life. The two talked about what just happened. After a few minutes the chancellor left. Gaius looked back down at the shocked girl and found himself amused.

He had to know, "how did you not know who I am?"

She shook her head and answered, "until very recently I've lived a very sheltered life. The first time I ever explored any land was just a few weeks ago. I got back only a couple days ago which is why I had the camera. I've never step foot in Rieze Maxia. I know nothing about it." He nodded in understanding and she told him, "I should go home now. I need to rest my nerves."

"Do you live far?"

"No... I'll be fine."

"Then be careful."

"I will," she said as she turned her back to him and began to walk away.

"Rhea."

"Yeah?" she asked back, looking over her shoulder.

"You can continue calling me Erston if you wish."

She gave him a tired smile and left.


	5. Rivals

Trigleph – Rhea's Apartment

Ever since the attack at Spirius, Rhea has been doing everything she could to catch up on current events from reading papers to watching the news. Just the fact that she didn't even know who the king of Rieze Maxia was, made her feel ashamed. She has barely left her apartment for the past few days. Too worried about Alvin anyway, she didn't want to be distracted if she were to get a call. She hasn't seen him since the incident. Having not heard anything either, she had no idea what to think. The way he acted when he left bothered her the most. It's true that they really haven't known each other that long, but quick personality change really bothered her. She just wanted to see him, at least hear from him to know that he's okay. These thoughts haven't left her since the party. Even when trying to catch up on what's going on between the two nations, she just can't stop thinking about him.

A knock on the door snapped her out of her daze. After placing her glass of wine on the table, she stood up. She went over to the door and opened it. Her eyes widened when she saw the man that occupied her thoughts. She moved out of the way so that he could enter. He did so and made his way over to the couch. Once the door was shut, she offered him a drink. He simply shook his head and leaned back, crossing his arms. She nodded and sat a few inches away from him. She wanted to ask how he was doing, but her jaw wouldn't budge. How he acted before still greatly bothered her. She knew that he had to be better to be able to visit which put her at ease. For a bit of time, the two just watched the news. When she did feel more at ease, she picked her wine and sipped from it. As she pulled it away from her lips, he took the glass from her and chugged the rest himself. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at him. When he finished the drink, he hunched forward and hung his head. With his free hand he tousled his hair. She went to rest her hand on his shoulder but just as she was about to make contact her hand froze. She can't help but feel that if she did anything, she was going to be in the wrong.

"You're not going to interrogate me?" he asked her.

"I- Well.. no... I-" she tried to answer. Even after for days thinking of what she would say to him, not that she got the chance her words jumbled.

"Heh..." Silence filled the room for a few moments until he asked, "you got anything else to drink?"

"Y-Yeah..." she reached over to the floor on the other side of the couch and picked up the bottle of wine. "Here..." she spoke softly, pouring some into the glass.

"Thanks..."

He was slower about it, but still drank relatively quickly. She didn't want to give him anymore, but couldn't refuse when he asked her. It really wasn't long until the bottle was empty. In needing to use the restroom, he stood up to nearly fall over instantly. Only reason he didn't was that she held him up. Once he got his footing, he broke out of her grasp and made his way to the other side of the apartment. As she watched him stagger off, her eyes began to water. Cursing underneath her breath, she wiped away her tears. With a shaky sigh, she picked up the glass and bottle and brought them over to the kitchen. She trashed the bottle and washed the glass. By the time she finished, he was back to reclining on the couch. He looked even worse than before. His skin was pale and his arm was over his eyes.

Unable to stay quiet any longer she told him softly, "why don't you go home for now? You need to rest."

"Trying to get rid of me?" he asked back.

She sat next to him saying, "I don't know what's going on in your head but you're really worrying me. I just want you to take care of yourself Alvin."

"... I need you to do something."

"What?"

"Just once... Call me 'Al'."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

She shrugged and agreed, "alright then, Al."

For the first time of the day, he made eye contact with her. She was just watching him confused. Just a few seconds after he started staring at her, his eyes widened. He stood up right after, and went over to the front door. As he opened the door, he was met with familiar faces. It wasn't long after, he walked right past them and left. She looked over seeing Leia, Elize, and Elle. She just stared at them, completely confused.

Elize was the first to enter the apartment and she asked, "Rhea? What's going on?"

Rhea shook her head and answered quietly, "I don't know."

Leia sat next to her on the couch asking, "is this my fault?"

She shook her head and answered, "if such a simply question caused all of this, it was only a matter of time until it happened anyway."

"Rhea..."

Elle plopped Rollo on her lap saying, "Rollo is good with helping take away sad thoughts."

"Thank you," Rhea said giving her a small smile. After sighing deeply, she looked at the three of them and asked, "so, what are you doing here?"

"We were wondering if we could sleep over," Elize told her happily.

"We really haven't talked to you since we met you, we want to get to know you better," Leia explained.

"Sure, that sounds nice."

"Do you mind if I change the channel?" Elle asked, holding the remote.

"Go ahead."

"Hey Rhea," Leia began. "Do you mind if we talk somewhere else?"

"Sure..."

Leia looked over at Elize and she nodded. She went over to Elle and started watching TV with her. Rollo made his way back over to the youngest and rubbed his head against her. The two remaining stood up and went to the bedroom. They sat down on the bed.

"So," Leia began.

"So..." Rhea whispered.

"What really is going on with you two?"

"Is that why you're all here now?"

She nodded and explained, "he's been acting like how he did when we first met him. Back then he was a complete mess even though he was really good at hiding it. It's scary seeing him like this again. I was just wondering what happened."

"I don't know what's going on... I'm completely worried about him... I have no idea why he was even here just now..."

"Before the party, what was your relationship with him?"

"I don't really know... All I can say for certain is that I enjoy his company. What he has been through makes what happened to me looks like nothing. But, maybe it's because of that he was able to understand what I was going through. He's helped me so much. Hell, I have this place because he got it for me. And now that he's like this... I hate it... I just want to help him..."

"Hey..."

"Damn it..." she whispered, wiping away her tears.

"You love him, don't you?" she asked, feeling her own eyes water.

"I scared to classify anything... I'm happy when he's happy and sad when he's sad... Even if nothing had changed from a few days ago, I would have been content... I didn't want to over think anything... Now... I just don't know... If he were to suddenly go back to how he was, I would be ecstatic..."

"Rhea..."

"I just wish I knew why he was here..."

Leia didn't know what else to say. She looked around the room and saw the camera, sitting on the bedside table. "Hey, can I see your pictures?" she asked to change topics.

"Sure," she nodded standing up.

She went over to the table and picked up the camera. By the time she was back to where she was sitting down, she had the camera on. She handed it over to her and then laid down. While her eyes were focused on the ceiling, she felt something jump on her. She looked down at her chest seeing the creature that she brought back with her from her journey. She held onto it and then looked back at the ceiling. Thoughts of Alvin possessed her ten fold now. The idea that she could be in love with him keeps circling her thoughts and her heart won't keep pounding. Fear grew in her as well. The instant she felt tears streaming, she sat right up. Leia put down the camera and held onto her.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault..." Leia whispered, trying to hold herself back from crying.

"Like I said, if this was going to happen anyway there's no reason to apologize... Maybe it's better to get this over now than later... Right now I'm just worried about him... I just don't want him to do anything stupid... I want to call him right now but what I'm truly scared of is making the situation worse... Damn it, I don't want to cry again..."

She wiped away her fresh tears and sat up straight. After sighing once more, she stood up. Leia just kept watching her sadly. As Rhea put down the creature, she heard a different voice in the living area. She recognized it but couldn't pinpoint it. After making sure all her tears were gone, she left the bedroom. She blinked in confusion when she saw Rowan talking happily with Elize and Elle. She just watched them confused. She couldn't figure out why nearly everyone she's met since the incident has visited her back to back. Leia followed her out and was also confused by the unexpected guest. Rowan took notice to the two observers and smiled at them. He looked over at Rhea and asked if she could step out. She looked at the other females and they showed that they didn't mind. She agreed and followed him out the apartment. She couldn't get any words out of him. Only thing that was different about him was a knowing smile playing on this lips and a mischievous glint in his eyes. As soon as they were outside, her eyes widened.

"Erston?" she questioned.

Gaius was leaning against the building with his arms crossed and eyes closed. When hearing her, he looked over. When he noticed the red rings around her eyes, he frowned and approached. She just watched him completely confused, unsure of what he was doing here. He gave a sharp look to the very amused prime minister. He bowed and walked away. Once he was gone, he offered the emotionally exhausted female to simply go for a walk with him. Seeing no harm in it, she agreed.

"How do you find time for everything?" she asked him softly, too scared that if she used her full voice it would crack.

"Hm? What exactly do you mean?" he asked back, watching her out of his peripheral vision.

"Since what happened at Spirius, I've been trying to learn all I can about current events. With everything going on how do you have the time for, anything?"

He smiled a bit feeling impressed by her and answered, "I travel between Rieze Maxia and Elympios a lot. Mainly, I have a lot of help in both nations."

"Still though... I couldn't imagine."

"I simply want to protect the weak so that one day they can be strong themselves. If that takes me every minute of everyday then so be it."

She nodded saying, "I can respect that. It's a very admirable goal."

"I'm glad to hear you understand."

"Hm? Why's that?"

"Hey! Big E!" a couple voices shouted from behind them.

Gaius sighed but turned around seeing the friends he made in Elympios and responded, "Kyle, Tanner."

Kyle smiled brightly up at him, saying, "thank you so much for the job referral Big E."

He nodded while Tanner took note of Rhea and questioned, "whoa, are you on a date?"

She didn't expect that at all and looked up at her companion surprised. Not rattled in the least, he answered, "no."

"Right... Well... We'll let you get back to your 'not date' with your overly attractive 'friend' there."

The two of them walked away, snickering. Amused by the two, she said, "those two are quite the pair."

"That they are."

"So, Big E huh?"

He shook his head and crossed his arms as he said, "something they came up with."

She smiled a bit and said, "maybe I should call you that."

"Would you really?"

"Nah."

He smiled a bit and said, "come on."

She nodded and they continued walking. She didn't realize until now how her mood has dramatically improved. She was surprised that he didn't question her appearance when she left the apartment complex and with how he reacted when he first saw her. She was sure that he wanted to know but was appreciative that he didn't ask. She was tired of explaining depressing stories. Soon enough, they returned the complex. She blinked in confusion for she didn't realize that they walked in a circle. He watched her amused. She didn't really know what to do from there so she just stood there. She didn't want to be rude and go in without a word, but feels like even if she did there had to be more of a reason for him to call her out besides a walk around the block.

"I don't have too much time left today. Are you interested in walking again another day?" he offered.

"Sure, that sounds nice," she answered.

He nodded and said, "I'll see you then."

"See you then," she said as she entered the door and entered.

After knowing she was far enough into the building, he glanced over his shoulder and asked, "still watching?"

An irritated Alvin came out of the shadows and asked him, "what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Giving her another option, one where she won't cry."

"Tch..."

He approached the angry male and questioned him, "do you really believe that you can make her happy?"

Alvin could no longer keep eye contact with him. He instantly felt like a wounded puppy left out in the rain. He asked back quietly, "what about you? You barely know her. Do you have the proper amount of time for her?"

"I'll do whatever it takes."

He felt himself very quickly losing and so he asked quietly, "why her?"

"She intrigues me."

"..."

"Are you already giving up?"

"Don't hurt her..." he whispered and walked away.

"You're the one doing the most damage now."

"You don't have to tell me..."

Refusing to let him go like that, he followed him asking, "why are you giving up so quickly?"

"Why are you so persistent?"

"If I can convince her to do so, I'm going to bring her with me to Kanbalar." When Alvin froze in his tracks, Gaius asked, "are you still certain you want to let her go so easily?"

"It's not up to me, now stop following," he bitterly answered as he started walking again.

"Do you think I'm joking?"

For a moment, he stopped walking and glanced over his shoulder. With a soft voice he answered, "no. I know that you will take care of all her needs. I will only continue to hurt her."

"Then I will take her away."

Helioborg Research Station – 8F

Three days have passed since Rhea has seen or heard any sign of Alvin. She didn't have as much time to worry as usual thanks to Gaius visiting her everyday. She didn't mind in the least but it blew her mind that of all people, the king wanted to chat with her. Thanks to that, she learned a lot about his nation. She really began to be interested in visiting at some point. She didn't even consider that he would invite her to go with him when he returns soon. Not only did she not expect such an invitation, but she nearly shut down when he kissed her. She really should have seen it coming with how much time he has been spending with her but she didn't have a single clue. She didn't really have reservations, but there was a thought nagging at the back of her mind that wouldn't go away. Because of that, he told her that he'd wait for her until he was about to go back.

Her fingers hovered over the keypad. There was nowhere else for her to look. She knew he was here. And because of that, she was completely terrified. She wasn't going to leave until she got answers, but she had a sickening feeling that she actually didn't want to know. Even so, there was no turning back. Taking in a deep breath, she entered the code into the pad. The door opened and instantly the smell of booze filled her senses. There she saw Alvin, sitting on the lone piece of furniture. He was surrounded by multiple bottles of liquor and it was easy to tell that the majority of them were empty. He looked up when he heard the door open and his eyes widened. The current bottle that was in his hand, slipped out of his grasp. The floor quickly got soaked. She wanted to run in and pick up the bottle before more spilled. Her feet were frozen in place. A moment later, his gaze darkened. He looked away from her and picked the bottle up. He didn't have anything to clean the alcohol up and so he just sat there.

"Alvin..?" she questioned hesitantly.

He didn't respond in the least. He kept his gaze downcast at the puddle. Unable to see him like this any longer, she entered the room and sat on the couch. When he still wouldn't look at her, she held his face and turned his head so that he would face her. Even still, his eyes refused to meet hers. Just wanting to be able to understand what was going on with him, she let go of his face and wrapped her arms tightly around his torso.

As she rested her head on his shoulder, she begged, "talk to me... Please..."

"Why?" he asked her quietly, not moving from his current state.

"Because... You're worrying me..."

"Well don't."

"Alvin!" she scolded him. "Just stop it, please..."

"Then leave."

Her eyes began to water as she continued begging, "please talk to me..."

"You really want to know?"

"Yes..."

"Fine..." he agreed bitterly. "When I look at you, I don't see you."

"... What..?"

"I don't see you because I see Presa."

Her eyes widened and she looked up at him. Nearly ready to cry now, she asked, "wh-what..?"

"You heard me. So leave."

Her jaw began to tremble as she asked, "why do I have to leave..? I care for you so much..."

"No you don't!" She couldn't help but jump at his sudden outburst. Feeling like a complete douchebag, he told her in a more calm voice, "we barely know each other. It hasn't been that long since I even met you and the grand majority of that time you weren't even here. Whatever was between us, it's not real."

"Not... real?"

"Gaius... He will treat you ten fold better than I ever could. You need to leave with him."

"Is that... what you really want..?"

"It's what's best for you."

Tears were streaming rapidly down her cheeks. "If it is as you say... That we really don't know each other... Can we not try learning..?" she asked, trying so hard not to full cry.

"It won't work Rhea."

"If I leave... Will you go back to normal..?" When he didn't answer she explained, "I didn't come here for this at all... The reason I stopped by was because Yurgen called me... He hasn't seen you in days and is getting worried... Please promise me... You've worked so hard, I don't want you to lose everything you've built for yourself..."

"... I promise..." he whispered under his breath.

Nodding, she whispered back, "good..." With a shaky sigh, she rose her head and let her arms fall down to her sides. Slowly, she stood up and made her way over to the door. As it opened, she told him, "if possible, since it seems that only appearance bothers you... I wouldn't mind if you called me at some point... No matter what you say or do to me to try to change it, you're important to me... Right now you're the dearest thing to my heart... I don't know if that will ever change, but... I just don't want to lose all contact with you... That's just too painful..."

With that, the door shut behind her. He broke the instant she was gone. He picked up the bottle that he dropped and chugged the rest of it. The moment it was empty, he threw it and it shattered against the wall. Within ten minutes, he finished the rest of the drinks he had and ended up breaking every last bottle. He just wanted to black out so that for at least a little his mind could rest. The opposite occurred. His mind became clear to the jackass act he pulled in front of her. He hated himself for it, but spoke the truth as well. The image of his former lover continues to haunt him from beyond the grave. Feeling as though he'd never be able to escape, he knew that her leaving probably was for the best, despite what he wanted. Needing an outlet for his rage, he punched the arm of the couch. With the amount of force behind it, he broke it right off.

"Damn it!"


	6. Winter Trials

Trigleph – Central Station

Alvin just couldn't seem to stay away. He sat down on an unoccupied bench and looked at his watch. The sun had even yet to rise, but he knew he barely made it in time. Despite not talking to her, everyone else lectured him in her stead. He knew that any moment now, she was going to appear with the little possessions that she owned and board the train. He wasn't going to ask her to stay even though he wanted to. The ghosts of his past simply wouldn't allow it. Even so, he at least wanted to see her off. Apparently Gaius was already back in Rieze Maxia on urgent business so he didn't feel threatened. If it were to be that he was picking her up, Alvin might not have shown up at all. And then alas, there she was with Rowan being her escort. His eyes were locked on her immediately. As assumed, all she had with her was her backpack and camera. The animal she found was sitting on her shoulder. He felt like a total dick when he saw her eyes. Dark shadows were present under them, showing she most likely hasn't slept since they last talked. Her eyes were locked on her feet. If it wasn't for the creature, she probably wouldn't have noticed him at all. When the creature took note of the watchful boy, it jumped off her shoulder and ran straight to him. Right when it reached him, it started growling at him. He couldn't help but let out a bitter smirk. He really was the bad guy in all this and the animal knew it. Before it could do him any harm however, it was scooped up.

"Sorry..." Rhea softly told him.

He shook his head saying, "don't be. I kinda wish it was you snarling instead. We might both even feel better if you just clocked me."

Her eyes widened and she finally looked at him saying, "what? I could never!"

"Heh... Silly girl..."

"Right back at you..."

"What? You calling me a girl now?"

A small smile played on her lips as she answered, "seems so..."

He reached over and rested his fingertips on her waist as a threat saying, "are you sure?"

When such a simple touch made her heart race she didn't care what he did as long as he kept doing it and so she answered, "very."

Before he did anything else though, he made the mistake of making eye contact with her. Instantly, his heart ached and he crossed his arms so that he could restrain his hands. In feeling her own heart ache, she lowered her head enough for her hair to cover her face. For a moment, the space between the two filled with enough tension that you could cut with a knife. Rowan observed the two in surprise. He was completely unaware that the two had such a connection. He was so focused on the idea that Gaius being interested in someone, he blocked out everything else. He didn't realize that he was stealing her from another. He didn't want to believe that he was capable of doing such a thing, but there was no denying what was right before his eyes.

Wanting to at least give her something, Alvin took off his scarf and stood up. As he wrapped it around her neck, he explained softly, "it's freezing in Kanbalar, this should at least help you a little."

"Thank you..." she whispered. When he finished she reached into her pocket and pulled out the key to the apartment that she barely stayed in. Mainly just wanting to hold his hand once more, she grabbed onto it. With her other hand, she dropped the key in his and closed it so that she was holding his had with both of hers. "With how little I stayed there, you might be able to get your money back for the apartment..."

"Yeah..."

An announcement came over the speaker, bringing her back to reality. Unable to hold back, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. His eyes widened at the contact. "Please take care of yourself..." she whispered, letting go of his hand.

"I should be telling you that..."

"Don't forget your promise to me... You need to get back to Yurgen and focus on your work... I know you'll do amazing..."

"You have too much faith in me..."

"Miss Rhea, it's time," Rowan softly told her.

She nodded, agreeing, "yeah..."

Not wanting too many regrets, she turned to Alvin one last time. Unable to speak any longer with her jaw clenched, she held him tightly. She simply buried her face in his chest. His own arms wrapped around her shoulders. It was as if his emotions overtook his rationality and he couldn't control himself. He was crushing her against him.

"I'm sorry..." he barely got himself to whisper.

When the last call came over the system, they were out of time. The two slowly backed away from each other. As she turned her back to him to face Rowan, he looked up at his old companion. Rowan wrapped his arm around the female's shoulders and gave Alvin a look of assurance. With that, the two boarded the train that shortly took off.

Kanbalar – Castle Gaius – Guest Room

Rhea woke to a chill. She pulled the blanket over her head in attempt to warm up. In doing so, she realized she was no longer in Trigleph, no longer in Elympios. The scent of the blanket was something she never knew existed. Despite never being here before, the scent made her feel at ease. She couldn't figure out why when she was incredibly sad. As she tried to figure out what it was, her pet nuzzled against her to warm itself up. She smiled just a bit as she rested her hand on it. It licked her hand before curling up. While petting it, she peaked out from the blanket. Her gaze landed on a window. Her eyes widened and she sat straight up. Keeping the creature in her left arm, she got out of bed. Instantly feeling cold, she took the blanket right off the bed and wrapped it around herself the best she could with her free arm. When better situated, she walked over to the window. It was easy to tell that the sun had already set, but everything was still very visible. Thanks to the reflection of the snow, the entire city of Kanbalar was hers to gape at. That's not what took her breath away though. For one who's never seen snow before, the constant flake flow was mesmerizing. She couldn't tare her sight away from it. If she had it her way, she would have stood at the window all night. She was brought back to reality when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She was so zoned out that she couldn't help but jump. She looked up surprised, seeing Gaius staring down at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her curiously.

"Yeah..." she nodded in response. "This is my first time seeing snow, I guess I got lost in it."

"I understand. Now and again I catch myself watching it."

"It's breathtaking."

After a small pause, he took his hand off her shoulder to cross his arms as he told her, "I brought you some food if you're willing to eat."

She followed his gaze to the table behind them seeing a plateful of food. Unsure of whether or not she'll be able to keep it down, she still appreciated the gesture so she responded, "thanks."

"Also, if you want to switch the blanket for warmer clothing, there's some in the closet." When she nodded he added, "I'll be busy most of the time but you can go anywhere you want."

"Erston," she spoke up before he added to the list. When he looked down at her, she looked up at him with a tired smile saying, "I'll be okay."

He smiled the tiniest bit at her smile and said, "of course."

"I think I will eat."

She walked over to the table and took a seat. He sat across from her with a tired sigh. She looked at him curiously but he simply shook his head. She looked down at the food and for a moment just stared at it. She really didn't have an appetite, but she didn't want to be rude to him either. With her own deep sigh, she picked up an utensil and began to eat. Despite not really wanting to eat, the sheer flavor of the food enticed her to keep going. She was so absorbed in the meal that she didn't care about her pet jumping on the table. It sniffed the food but wasn't really interested. It then made its way over to Gaius. Curiously, he handed his hand over to it. The animal sniffed it. Instantly, its tail began wagging furiously. Unable to hold itself back, it jumped right onto him and began to rub its head against his. He smiled and began petting it. She couldn't help but to smile at such a sight. It wasn't too long after that, however, that it disappeared as she thought about the one who the creature growled at.

In noticing her internal conflict, he told her, "Rowan told me everything. I won't force anything on you so don't feel like you have to force yourself."

She nodded and whispered, "okay..."

"Why don't you get some more rest? It'll be light again in a few hours."

"I guess..."

He nodded and stood up. He returned the creature to her and left the room afterwards. The instant he was gone, her throat tightened. No longer wanting to eat, she stood up and made her way back over to the bed. By the time she was lying down, she felt her eyes welling up. In just wanting a little reminder, she moved the scarf that was still around her neck and covered her nose. After inhaling the smell of his cologne, her emotions calmed down. It wasn't long until she was once again unconscious.

She woke up to the clanging of plates. She sat up and looked over seeing a woman placing fresh food on the table. After doing so, she left as quietly as she came in. Rhea rubbed her face and crawled out of bed, this time leaving the blanket behind. Instantly her skin was covered in goosebumps. She quickly made her way over to the closet and pulled out appropriate clothing. She brought them over to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Before anything, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a complete mess, it was sticking at in each and ever angle. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks tear stained. With a sigh, she adverted her eyes. Wanting to at least fix her hair, she took a shower. Once she was done, she put on the clothes she found. It amazed her how quickly she warmed up, despite how thin the materials were. They kind of reminded her of Gaius' outfit, but more of a feminine version. She was wearing black pants, a white blouse, and a jacket that reached just below her butt. The dark jacket had a similar purple pattern as his. She didn't really think much of it since it was keeping her warm. The only real difference between their outfits, was the missing vest and tie. She didn't even need the scarf, but she didn't dare not take it with her. Instead of having a tie, the wore the scarf similar to how Alvin wears it. Once she fixed her hair, she left the bathroom. No longer wanting to stay in the room, she walked over to the door. An image in the back of her mind stopped her from doing so. She looked back at the food and sighed.

"He would be mad at me if he found out I wasn't eating..." she whispered to herself.

She walked over to the table and sat down. Ignoring the fact that the food was cold now, she did enjoy it to the best of her current ability. She couldn't fully finish it because of how little she has been eating recently, but she did eat the majority. Just as she leaned back, there was knock on her door. She groaned lightly, not wanting to move with a full stomach. Even so, she stood up and made her way over to the door. She opened it up and she looked up in surprise seeing Rowan.

"How are you feeling Miss?" he asked her.

She smiled a bit at his concern but answered, "hard to say. So, are you his message boy again?"

He smiled at the questioned and answered, "not this time. I want to give you a tour, if you're willing that is. If you don't know your way around here, it's easy to get lost."

"Sure." He moved to the side so that she could leave the room, but instead she went deeper in. He watched her curiously as she picked up the nearly empty plate. After that, she left the room explaining, "I don't care for being taken care of."

"At least allow me to carry it for you."

"I got it Rowan."

He smiled and patted her back. He led her over to the kitchen first. She could only take one step inside of it before the plate was taken right out of her grasp. Her eyes widened at the handful of workers cleaning at light speed. She recognized one of them as the one who brought the food to her earlier. Rowan got her attention and he got her to leave the room before they became in the workers way. From there, the two walked down multiple different hallways that all looked the same. She understood now what he meant about getting lost. After a few minutes, he brought her to his favorite room. Her eyes widened at the large amount of books. She looked up at him in awe and he nodded. He couldn't help but smile as she quickly became engrossed. As she skimmed the titles, one stuck out to her.

"Chimeriad..." she whispered to herself.

"What was that you found?" he asked, approaching her.

Keeping her eyes on the title, she asked him, "what was Presa like?"

He frowned answering, "I didn't get to know her that well." He rubbed his beard as he took a moment to think back. When that moment passed he told her, "she was very loyal to Gaius. If you want to know anything, he would have the answers."

She shook her head saying, "no, I can't do that to him. I'm sure he already knows that I'm thinking about Alvin by how I act but to ask him to his face would be cruel."

"You truly are a kind woman."

She shook her head was was going to verbally deny it but while the topic was still out there she asked him, "so... what did happen to her?"

He looked up at the ceiling and told her, "we were all at the peak of the Nia Khera Hallomont nearly two years ago now. The cliff she was standing on collapsed and she fell." Her eyes widened and he nodded as he continued, "she fell in front of Alvin. He tried to reach for her but couldn't reach her in time."

As she felt her eyes water, she whispered, "I can't imagine..."

He nodded as he said, "we all lost a lot back then. But, I honestly don't know who lost more, him or Gaius."

"What do you mean?"

He took the book that she was looking at off the shelf and handed it to her. Before he could tell her more, a warrior came into the room asking for him. She let him know that she'll be fine on her own. He rested his hand on her shoulder before he left the room. After he was gone, she looked around the room seeing a couple different tables. She sat down at one of them and opened the book. In it, she read all about Wingul, Jiao, Agria, and Presa. She was instantly absorbed in the information. She read through the book much faster than she expected to and was thirsty for more knowledge. She got up and went back over to the shelves. This time she took multiple books ranging from topics of history from the birth of the Schism to current times in Rieze Maxia. She brought the armful of reading material to the table and began studying. The hours simply flew by for her. She was brought back to reality when a glass of scotch was placed in next to her. She looked up seeing Gaius holding his own glass.

She picked it up saying, "thank you."

"Seems you've been busy," he said as he glanced at the books she's been reading.

She nodded saying, "once I started I couldn't stop. Your history is fascinating."

"I'll let you get back to it then," he said as he stood up.

"I don't mind taking a break for now if there's something you wanted to do. My eyes are beginning to strain."

"Is there something you want to do?"

She shrugged and responded, "I don't know, what about you?"

He rubbed his neck saying, "I'm not used to staying still for hours. I need to do something physical before I whither away."

She smiled and glanced at him asking, "are you asking me to fight you?"

He crossed his arms and said, "you've proven to me that you're skilled. I'm curious to see how much."

"Bring it on."

She finished her drink before standing up. After pushing the chair in, she put all the books back in their respective spots. She did keep hold of the one she was currently reading so that she could finish it at a different time. Once she was ready, she approached him. He smirked and led her out of the room. While walking, Gaius felt another pair of eyes staring at him. He looked in her direction, seeing her pet watching him from her pocket. Right when he noticed, it pounced onto his shoulder. The two just watched it as it situated itself. Soon enough it was sitting and was staring forward as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. She laughed a bit while he just shook his head. With her pocket free now, she dropped the book in it. Soon, he led her over to a staircase that she didn't notice was even there. From there, she followed him down multiple stairs. Once they reached the bottom, they reached double doors. He took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the doors.

"Damn..." she whispered.

The two entered a large dojo. A large variety of weapons were displayed in racks against the walls. For the larger weapons, such as his usual sword, were hung on the wall. As she examined the weapons, he took off his trench coat. The creature jumped away from him and ran over to Rhea. She picked it up and it snuggled against her. While she was distracted, he took his sword off the wall.

He looked over at her asking, "you sure you want to do this?"

Keeping her back to him, she answered, "hmm? Oh, I'm fine. You can start whenever you want. Don't mind me."

His eyebrow twitched in irritation as he questioned, "do you dare underestimate me?"

"It's nothing like that. I just believe I'm better than you," she answered, glancing at him from over her shoulder.

Doing his best to keep his emotions in check, he approached her asking, "are you taking me seriously?"

"Oh of course. I just like an extra challenge when possible. And I'm very sure even if I were blindfolded, I would still win."

"Before you get cocky, why don't you face me properly first?"

She pouted lightly but agreed. She put the animal into her free pocket and took off her jacket. She placed it out of the way so that she knows that the chances of it getting harmed was slim. After that, she looked back at the weapons unsure of what to choose. There were simply too many. But, since he did want a regular duel, she chose a sword that aesthetically pleased her. It was half the length of his but was also double the width. From the handle, to the tip of the blade, it was icy blue. It made her think of an icicle. Once she got a feel for it, she turned to face him. He smiled a bit, excited for a chance to stretch his muscles. Just a moment later, the air in the room changed. The two got into their starting poses and stared each other down.

Just before they could begin, his GHS began to ring. He let out a sigh before he answered. She was curiously as his expression quickly became serious. As he was talking, he went over to his coat and put it back on. She was unsure of what was going on, but she followed suit by putting on her own jacket. When she looked back at him, he sheathed his sword and made his way to the door. Really not knowing what to expect, she decided to keep the sword she chose with her and followed behind him. He locked the door just after she left. As they climbed the stairs, he explained to her that the city was being attacked. Apparently, word has gone around that he was back home and now a small group wanted him assassinated. What was strange to them was that it wasn't Exodus. It didn't matter though, especially not to him. All he cared about was making sure that his subjects weren't getting harmed. As soon as they reached the top of the staircase, they simply ran through the castle. As they got closer to the front door, the intense cold hit them. The fact that it was nighttime made this so much worse. Doing her best while in motion, she took off the scarf and wrapped it around her face so that only her eyes were exposed. The echoes of screams added to their adrenaline. As they ran through the castle grounds, they noticed the screams were coming from two main different locations. In having no choice, they split up in hope to save as many civilians as possible. The terrorists assumed that just because they attacked at night, they would have the upper hand. The two, along with Rowan and all the soldiers available quickly took care of the problem. The soldiers captured the attackers.

Rhea was ready to go back until she heard crying. She turned around seeing an injured little girl. She quickly went over to her and examined her. In just noticing a few scratches, she carefully picked her up to help keep her warm. She asked her where she lived so that she could bring her home, but she was lost. Before she could try to figure out what to do, Gaius ran up to her. His concern was initially for her, until he saw the child.

He rested his hand on her head and spoke kindly, "your parents are worried sick."

The child's eyes widened and she questioned in awe, "King Gaius?"

"Yes?"

The little girl broke down and reached over to him. Gaius easily took her from Rhea and started walking in the direction he came from. She followed right behind him. As soon as they turned the corner, two people ran straight to their king. He returned their child to them and they bowed deeply. As soon as they were out of sight, he made one more scan of the area to make sure nothing else was out of the ordinary. Rowan approached him saying that everything was neutralized once more. He nodded and looked back at the silent woman. He rested his hand on her shoulder, only for her to gasp in pain. He frowned deeply and ushered her all the way back to his castle. As soon as they entered, she took the scarf off. As soon as her mouth was free, she took in a deep breath. She had layered the material too many times which had made it hard for her to breathe. He looked back at her in concern when hearing her. She shook her head to let him know she was fine. That really didn't change his concern when he knew her shoulder was hurting. He rested his hand on her back and gently pushed her so that she'd keep up with him. She followed his lead silently. He led her to the closest room that had a seat. The two sat down on the plush couch.

"Can you take off your jacket so I can see the damage?" he asked her.

"Yeah," she answered doing so. The shoulder of her white shirt was soaked with blood. Before he worried too much, she stretched the shirt just enough to expose the wound. "It's not that bad," she assured him.

It really wasn't that bad, it was a clean slice that wasn't even too deep. Just seeing her hurt made him feel guilt though. He used a quick spirit arte to seal it up and she put the jacket back on so that he wouldn't see the blood. Unable to hold back any longer, he wrapped his arms around her tightly. He traded out the worry with sadness when she tensed up. He really didn't want to, but he did let her go. He tried to get her to look at him, but she just couldn't meet his gaze. What he did notice, was her grasp on the familiar yellow scarf. As if on cue, her GHS rang. She looked at the name and instantly tears streamed down. She couldn't get herself to answer, she just kept staring at his name.

When he let out a tired sigh, she whispered, "I'm sorry..."

"Is there nothing I can do?" he asked her, even though he knew the answer.

"I think that I'd rather be alone if I can't be with him... That way I wouldn't hurt others like I am now... I can't stop thinking about him... I'm so sorry..."

"... So why don't you answer?"

"Because I'm a coward..."

"You should answer," he told her as he stood up and left the room.

She felt like a complete bitch. He did all he could to make her happy and she repaid him with pain. She pulled her knees up to her and held her legs tightly with her free arm. She then rested her forehead on her knees. Her blurred vision was locked on the display screen. She couldn't help but notice his name wasn't vanishing. In her one brave split second decision, she opened the phone and placed it against her ear.

"Rhea?!" Alvin exclaimed.


	7. Conversation

Duval – Marketplace

As soon as Rhea boarded the train, Alvin focused exclusively on his work. He didn't want a chance for his mind to wander. He didn't want his emotions to once again overtake his judgment. Yurgen was very appreciative of him doing so, but he was working too hard even for him to keep up with. He was becoming mechanical. For two days straight, he did nothing but work. Not once did he consider eating or sleeping. His exhaustion finally finally caught up to him when he was looking over inventory in the middle of the night. He fell onto the floor with a loud thud as he simply passed out. Next day, Yurgen found his unconscious body. When calling him wasn't waking him up, he had to shake him with some effort.

When he finally did stir, Yurgen once again shouted, "Alvin!"

Alvin glanced at him, completely out of it and asked, "wha? What's going on?"

"I just got word that Kanbalar was just attacked. No one knows what the outcome was."

His eyes widened and he sat right up. After getting over the head rush, he asked him, "do you know of any casualties?"

"I believe there were a few, but it's middle of the night there right now. It's too difficult to tell."

Without hesitation, he pulled out his GHS and called Rhea. He knew that she could take care of herself, but not knowing the situation was putting his worry into overdrive. As the rings ran on, he got to his feet and began pacing similar to a cat trapped in cage. Even after a good minute passed by, he didn't dare to give up. His heart was pounding at the thought of her not answering. With his free hand, he was tousling his hair so much that it became a huge mess. All Yurgen could do at this point was stay out of his way as he watched him in concern. Even though she was no longer at his side, at least he was still working. If she were to truly disappear however, he didn't even want to consider what would happen to his partner.

"Rhea?!" Alvin exclaimed.

Even though she didn't respond right away, her voice came though loud enough for Yurgen to hear. "Hey..." she spoke.

"Where are you? Are you alright? Yurgen just told me about an attack at Kanbalar."

"I'm okay..." With a deep sigh of relief, he sat down right where he was standing. Even though she was trying to hide it, he could hear her crying. Before he could ask her what was causing it, she asked him, "how's work..?"

"It's going."

"The scarf's come in really handy..."

"Heh... Yeah, the weather there is a bit extreme."

For a good few minutes after that, not a word was exchanged between them. She was doing all she could to try stop herself from fully crying and he was trying to think of something to say that wouldn't push her over the edge. What he really wanted to know was what he was the most afraid to ask her.

"I can't stay here any longer..." she barely got herself to say.

His eyes widened at her words and he asked, "what? Why? Wait... Did he do something to you?"

"No... No... It's nothing that severe... I just don't belong here and the more I stay here now that more I'm going to hurt him..."

He couldn't believe his ears. He wanted to tell her to come back to Elympios, but he didn't feel like he had the right. So instead he asked, "what will you do?"

"I don't know... Maybe I'll do what I did before in Elympios but in Rieze Maxia..."

"You mean take pictures?"

"Yeah... And maybe along the way... Just maybe I can find a place I could call home..."

In not like hearing her say that, he told her before he over thought it, "if you don't, come back."

"... What..?"

"Your home is here Rhea..."

"But..."

"You don't have to. Take your time and explore Rieze Maxia. I'm just saying if you can't find a place that fits for you come back."

"Thank you..."

"And anyway... You know... Balan, he misses you..." he told her, rubbing the back of his head.

She chuckled softly, easily understanding who he really meant, and said, "well, you can let him know I miss him too..."

He smiled a bit before telling her, "it's good hearing from you."

"Yeah... Even though it was just a few days, feels like so much longer since the last time we talked..."

"Only thing really different is that you are too far out of my reach right now to tickle you."

After laughing a bit, she told him, "that's the only reason I don't mind being at such a distance."

"Oh really now? Such a statement makes me want to hunt you down and attack when you least expect it."

"But you have work silly boy."

"Yeah yeah..." After that, the conversation died. Neither of the two could think of anything else to say, but neither wanted to hang up either. After a bit if silence he heard her yawn and so he said, "you should get some rest."

"I guess..."

"Heh... I will call you sooner next time, okay?"

"Alright..."

"Good, now be a good girl and go to bed."

"Yes Daddy..." He burst out laughing at that which made her smile. Once his laugh settled, she softly spoke, "good night Alvin..."

"Good night."

He sighed as he ended the call and put his GHS in his pocket. Before he could go into deep thought, a hand came into his vision. He looked up seeing Yurgen handing his hand to him. He took his help and stood up. In knowing his partner was feeling better, Yurgen patted him on the back. Alvin rubbed the back of his head feeling bashful. He had forgotten that he wasn't alone. Yurgen laughed at his pouty state before reminding him about work. After glaring at him for the laugh, he agreed.

Kanbalar – Castle Gaius – Guest Room

Rhea woke up feeling the most energetic she's been in days. Even so, she felt a dark cloud hanging over her head. Before she did anything rash, she knew that she first had to talk to the king. As she was finishing changing her clothes, there was a knock at her door. She simply assumed it was the maid bringing her breakfast. So when she opened the door and saw Gaius, she was surprised. His demeanor was setting off flags and so she quickly moved out of his way. He silently came into the room and crossed his arms. She held her breath as she watched him carefully. It was obvious by how he was acting that he knew more than she thought he did, but she didn't know how much.

"I eavesdropped your conversation last night," he told her, keeping his back to her.

"Oh..." she whispered.

He walked over to the window and looked outside of it asking, "when do you plan to leave?"

"As soon as possible."

"So you mean now, right?"

"If possible."

"You should get your stuff together then."

"I kind of already did before going to sleep last night."

"I see. Allow me to walk you out then, if you're ready."

"Erston..." He glanced over his shoulder, seeing her giving him the deepest bow she could muster. In a softer voice she apologized, "I'm so sorry..."

He uncrossed his arms and approached her. In seeing him come closer, she stood up straight and looked up at him. She frowned at the hurt look in his eyes. He growled and held her tightly. Her arms were pinned between them. If he held her any tighter, he would have snapped a number of her bones. Even though she was in pain, she couldn't just tell him to stop. She felt so horrible for hurting him.

"Must you leave?" he asked quietly.

"Yes..." she barely got herself to answer. Reluctantly, he let her go. She walked over to her materials. As she double checked to make sure she had everything, she told him, "you will find someone Erston, I know it... I didn't want to tell you, but even though I've been here just a few days I already have cabin fever. You will find someone that can be your queen." She rubbed the back of her head, thinking about what she just said. "That sounded really cheesy huh?"

He smiled a bit and admitted to her, "to be honest, I did see this coming. I just didn't really want to admit it."

She thought of something and reached into her pocket. She took the sleeping creature out and handed it to him saying, "here."

He took it surprised and asked, "are you sure?"

She nodded and said, "it's the least I can do. It likes you more than me anyway."

The animal woke up from the exchange and looked up at him tiredly. He stared right back down at it. Once it was more awake, it let out a small bark and began wagging its tail. He smiled and held it against him. Once it was closer, it licked his face happily. The sound of a click confused him however. He looked over at Rhea, seeing that she took a picture of him. She ignored the confusion and just smiled. After a moment he shook his head.

"I guess I should give you something too," he told her.

"Huh? Oh no, not at all," she responding, waving her arms. "I'm still completely in your debt for everything you've done for me."

He moved the creature so that it would sit on his shoulder. He then reached into his pocket saying, "even so, take this. You might need it."

He handed her a dagger. Before she took it, she asked him, "are you sure?"

"Very."

She nodded and took it from him. It looked plain enough until she took off its sheath. It was obvious just from appearance that the blade was incredibly sharp. She put the sheath back on and thanked him for it. She dropped it in her own pocket and picked up her backpack, ready to leave. He nodded in understanding. She followed him out of the room and down the multiple hallways that she would still get lost in if she were walking solo. While walking, they ran into Rowan, who was looking for her. He gave her a knowing smile and handed her a thick paper that was rolled up. She took it and unrolled it seeing that it was a map of Rieze Maxia. She gave him a thanks before he went back to prime minister affairs. After a few minutes, they reached the audience chamber. He knew that she knew the rest of the way from there and if he went any farther, the civilians would take their situation completely wrong. She gave him one more thanks before going over to the door.

Before she opened it, he told her, "let's have a drink again sometime."

She smiled back at him replying, "I look forward to it."

Marksburg – Rieze Inn

Alvin yawned loudly as he sat down on an empty couch. He just got out of a meeting with the Skylark Exchange that lasted for more than two hours. He didn't want to go home quite yet, but also didn't want to be found if possible. After stretching a bit, he took out his GHS. After scrolling through the saved names, he found hers. He instantly remembered the dream he had when he passed out. He sighed once more before calling her. As he listened to the ring, he fiddled with an object that was in his pocket.

"Hey..." Rhea spoke to him through the phone as soon as she answered it.

"How's it going?" he asked her.

"Currently? I'm freezing my ass off."

"Now why would you do something like that?"

"Because after not really doing so much for awhile now, my stamina has gotten bad. I couldn't get nearly as far as I anticipated."

"Wait... Did you really leave?"

"Yeah..."

"Wow... So, where are you now?"

"According to the map Rowan gave me, I'm about half way through the Mon Highlands. I'm in some small cave system."

"Have you explored it yet?"

"No, I just got here. Right now I'm just trying to build a fire so I don't freeze to death."

He frowned and tried to think back to when he went there. In remembering something, he told her, "there should be some tinder somewhere near you if you are where I think you are. Hopefully it'll still be dry."

"Well aren't you mister survivalist."

"Just take a look around. Jude was the one who made the point of putting some to the side in case of emergency."

She chuckled and said, "I can't even imagine traveling with anyone, let alone the number that you did."

"It was a challenge many times..."

"You totally had fun."

"Aw, what do you know?"

"Found it."

"Still dry?"

"Yep."

"Good."

"You sound tired."

"Yeah... Just got out of a meeting that lasted way longer than it should have."

"Did something go wrong?"

"Nah, just very boring."

"There we go..."

"You got the fire going?"

"Yeah, thanks for the help. I guess you could thank Jude for me too."

"So is it night there now?"

"Yeah."

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"When it's light again, go deeper in the cave. You should find an exit that goes to a small area surrounded by the mountains. Elize used to live there. If you can find these large pink flowers, get one for her."

"You really are a kind man, despite what you try to make others believe."

A light blush appeared on his cheeks as he pouted, "ah shut up."

She chuckled a bit before asking, "do you want me to get anything else? I don't mind collecting materials again like I did before."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course."

"That would be amazing."

"Then you got it."

"You really are too good to me."

"I know."

He laughed at how aware she was before he asked, "you must be tired, you going to sleep soon?"

"Yeah, I guess I should."

"Silly girl."

"Yeah yeah."

He smiled and told her, "good night."

"Night..."

He took the GHS away from his ear and ended the call. He sighed as he put it back in his pocket. Before he could even consider what to do now, a familiar floating object came face to face with him. He jumped away, not expecting that at all, and ended up falling onto the floor. As he rubbed the back of his head, the purple item floated to his face again.

"What are you doing here spud?" he asked annoyed.

Teepo grinned as he told him, "we heard everything Little Buddy."

"What do you mean by, 'we'?"

Teepo floated over to the couch next to the one he was sitting on. He frowned deeply as he saw three very familiar females smiling at him. Before he gave them a chance to interrogate him, he stood up and left the inn. He made a beeline straight for the Bridge of Unity. He was hoping, with the amount of people that are always there, he would lose any chance of them finding him. Teepo made things very challenging for him with his ability to float over everything. He knew that there was no chance that he could shake off the puppet with this tactic, but he was hoping that they would eventually give up if he walked far enough. However, the more he tried to get away, the more intrigued they became.

Teepo plopped down on his head telling him, "come on Little Buddy, slow down. You know you won't get away."

He growled and smacked him off his head saying, "leave me alone."

In retaliation, he bit his hand. Getting annoyed now, he shook his arm furiously. Teepo held on for dear life. In wanting to put his full effort into freeing his hand, he stopped walking. In seeing her companion flying around, Elize's eyes widened and she ran up to them. She held onto his arm tightly to stop him. He looked down at her annoyed while she looked at him angry. Leia and Elize shortly caught up. Teepo let him go and floated next to Elize. Alvin tried to get away again, but he couldn't free his arm without hurting her. He let out a sigh of surrender. Still holding onto his arm, Elize led him through the rest of the bridge to the Elympios end. He then brought him over to a bench. She sat down on it which made him do the same.

He groaned lightly in annoyance and muttered, "what do you want?"

"To know what exactly is going on," Leia answered, standing in front of him.

"Don't you have articles to work on snoops?"

"I'm considering writing one on the complexities of love."

"Oh really now? Then shouldn't you be talking to Jude instead?"

Her face burned and she looked away. She couldn't help but stutter, "that's not what I me- this isn't- I mean..."

He looked up at her annoyed and said, "worry about yourself."

"Hey Alvin," Elle called out, walking over to them. "I think you dropped this."

He looked over seeing that she was handing him a decorative fox head. His eyes widened and he quickly took it from her. The three watched him curiously.

Elize spoke out curiously, "that looks so familiar..."

He sighed and just told them, knowing that they'd force the answer out of him one way or another anyway, "it was Presa's."

"That's right..." Leia said. "It was part of her outfit. Wait, how did you get it?"

He looked down at the fox head in his hand and explained, "a couple nights ago she talked to me in my sleep and when I woke up I was holding it."

"Little Buddy!" Teepo cried, rubbing his head against his.

"Come on now, none of that," Alvin said and he moved his head away.

"But you were talking with Rhea just now right?" Elize asked. "Does that mean everything will be okay now?"

"Who can say?"

Leia smiled and messed with his hair saying, "come on guys, let's leave him alone now."

He hit her hand away and fixed his hair saying, "hey, don't mess up my hair."

"But wasn't it already messy?" Elle asked.

"That's his 'style', no getting through to him that it looks bad," Leia told her.

Getting annoyed, he asked, "can you leave me alone now?"

"Yeah, come on Elle."

Elle looked up at her and asked, "can we get ice cream?"

Leia's eyes glowed at the thought and she answered happily, "yes! That sounds amazing right now!"

The two walked away, talking happily. Relieved to be free, he leaned back against the bench and sighed. After a moment, he looked down at Elize asking, "why don't you follow them princess?"

She looked up at him and answered, "I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For thinking of me. I heard you talk about the Princessia with her. Thank you."

She smiled as she watched him look away from her. He scratched his cheek with his index finger as a light blush appeared on his cheeks. She finally freed his arm and kissed his cheek. After that, she jumped off the bench and caught up with Leia and Elle.

Xian Du – Dargu Subterranean Passage

Rhea breathed out a sigh of relief. She was enjoying the snow in the beginning, but was so happy to be out of it in the end. She took the scarf off her face and just draped it over her shoulders. As she brushed the remaining snow off of her, she walked down the dirt path. Once she was free of the white powder, she looked in the direction she was going in. About midway through, she nearly ran into a large group of people. They gave her a bad vibe so she slowly backed up before they noticed her. She tried to listen in their conversation but she could barely hear them. She could only hear certain key words such as 'Yurgen' 'traitor' 'revenge' 'Isla'. In getting a horrible feeling, she wanted to call Alvin immediately, but she couldn't risk getting caught. After a few more minutes, the group broke apart. In trying to be inconspicuous, she calmly walked through the tunnel. A couple of the group members watched her carefully, but didn't think too much of her. Once she reached the center of Xian Du, she felt much more comfortable. While looking around, she took out her GHS and called Alvin.

"Hello..?" he answered half asleep.

"Alvin, does the name Isla ring any bells to you?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah, she's Yurgen's wife. Why?"

"I don't know for certain, but I just heard some guys talking. From what I could gather, it sounded like they were going to attack her because Yurgen was a traitor."

"What?!"

"Where does she live? I can at least keep an eye on her until something is done."

He didn't like the idea of putting her in harm's way, but there was nothing else they could do at this point. He told her exactly what to do and ended the call after telling her that he'd let Yurgen know the situation. As she put her phone away, she made her way to the apartment. She quickly found the key and entered it. As soon as she got inside, she locked the door behind her. She put down her stuff and entered farther into the apartment. She looked over at the bed, seeing the one she suspected as Isla was lying on. She could tell that there was something off about her, but couldn't figure out what. Not exactly worrying about it, she walked over to the window and carefully looked outside. For now she didn't see anything suspicious. Even so, she didn't want to take any chances. She took a seat at a table and rested her head on her arms. Just a moment later, she was fast asleep.

She woke up a few hours later to a bang at the door. She jumped off the chair and grabbed onto the dagger. She silently walked over to the door and looked out the peephole. She took the sheath off the blade when she saw the men from the tunnel. She could tell that it wouldn't be too much longer until the door simply broke. Just to be cautious, she went over to Isla after putting down the dagger. She did her best at picking her up. She was struggling a bit but she was able to get her off the bed. Just wanting to hide her, she somehow got her under the bed. After that, she fixed the bed so that it looked like no one had been in it. As soon as she picked the dagger back up, the door broke. She knew that, for the most part she could take care of herself. But when the number of men coming into the apartment continued to increase, she began to get scared.


	8. Partner in Crime

Xian Du – Residence

Yurgen ran through the darkened streets he's known since childhood. It feels like forever for him since the last time he's been in Xian Du, but the last thing on his mind was to reminisce. He's never been so scared in his life. Even though he made it to his hometown in record speed, it still took a few hours. Alvin tried to join him as back up, but he convinced him to stay back for an important conference that was happening next day. Alvin did try to help in his own way still though. He was able to call for help that was closer to the area. Even so, he knew there was an attack. As he closed in on his home, he immediately saw some structural damage such as the door missing and the window broken. His heart was pounding so loud, it was the only sound he could hear. He ran up to the elevator and rode it up. The closer he got, the more nervous he became. He was already attempting to mentally prepare himself to see the carnage. As soon as he reached the balcony, he took note to a dim light flickering from inside the residence. Holding his breath, he entered. Instantly, he could see bloodshed all over the walls, floor, and even ceiling. As he climbed the stairs, very slow now, he noticed a battered and bruised Rhea lying on the sofa. He couldn't tell if she was simply unconscious or dead. He didn't study her for too long to tell since she wasn't his main concern. He looked at the bed and instantly fell to his knees when he didn't see her there. All he saw was more blood. As he felt tears begin to grow, someone began to shake him. He looked up seeing Ivar and his eyes widened.

"What are you doing here..?" the exhausted man asked.

"Alvin asked for my help," Ivar answered.

"What happened here..?"

"For what she told me, some people wanted to hurt you for betraying Rieze Maxia for Elympios. She had heard about their plans so she did what she could to stop them. It was crazy. At least twenty bodies were flung all around. There were just too many of them though. There were at least fifty of them in total. When I got here, she was completely surrounded."

"Isla's safe..." a weak voice whispered from behind.

Yurgen jumped to his feet right away and ran to the exhausted Rhea. "What was that?" he asked cautiously.

"I put her under the bed before they got here..."

He ran over to the bed and quickly got on his hands and knees. He reached underneath and instantly tears began to fall. He pulled her out and held her tightly against him. He looked down at her, seeing that she was the cleanest thing in the apartment. Her condition was the same as before and right now he couldn't care less. She was alive and he couldn't be more thankful. Ivar looked around uncomfortable. He didn't feel like he exactly belongs and yet he didn't dare leave after what just happened. While attempting to deal with his conflicted ideas, his GHS went off. To give Yurgen some space, he went out to the balcony before he answered.

"What happened?!" Alvin quickly asked.

"Everything's fine. Your buddy just got here," Ivar answered.

"And Rhea?"

"She got hurt somewhat but is fine. She's sleeping."

He let out a sigh of relief before saying, "thank you Ivar."

"Sure thing. I'm the best after all."

"... Right..."

"Of course I'm right! Well, if there's nothing else I'll-"

"There is something."

"Now what?"

"Rhea wants to explore Rieze Maxia and take pictures. Will you be a bodyguard of sorts for her until she comes back to Elympios?"

"Hmm... Well... I guess. Got nothing going on anyway."

"I appreciate it."

"You'd better."

"Just keep me updated," he told him as he hung up.

"You're welcome," he told the GHS as he put it away.

He went back inside, seeing nothing had changed. Rhea and Isla were both unconscious and Yurgen clung onto the shorter-haired one. With nothing else to do, he sat down on the floor at the top of the stairs and leaned against the wall. In knowing that if something else were to happen he'd wake up, he allowed himself to fall asleep. The next couple days passed by quickly enough. In no longer being able to stay in the current apartment, Yurgen found a new one across the river. Ivar and Rhea did their best to help. The day times were dedicated to the move while in the evenings, the two studied her map and tried to figure out the best way to explore his home nation. It was good for Rhea since she was healing from her fight. By the time everything was situated, she was fully healed again. The two were ready to leave once the sun rises which wasn't too far away. They woke up early to triple check the extra added security. Yurgen had to go back to Elympios a little while ago, having to put his entire faith into them to make sure his wife stayed safe. By the time the two finished eating breakfast, the stars were vanishing from view. They check out the security cameras and multiple locks before leaving. Even if the door were to breakdown this time, every other trap set up would stop them. To properly disarm everything, you would need five keys and five passwords. Only two sets of the keys existed, Yurgen had one and Rhea the other. After securing the keys, they left.

Hamil – Eastern District

Rhea and Ivar clinked their glasses after setting on the chairs that the took out of the room they're staying in tonight to the balcony. They reached Hamil as evening time was coming around and so they decided to stop there for the night. Their legs had enough anyway. She took in a deep breath of the citrus air and looked out at the fields. Once in awhile, she took small sips of the porange juice she was holding. She enjoyed it so much that she was trying to stretch it out. Even though she was staring off into the distance, she also kept an eye on the boy sitting next to her. He has really impressed her in the short time they've been together. When they were still in Xian Du, Alvin was telling her over the phone how he was overly obnoxious and how he continuously got into his group's way. She can't imagine it. He's been nothing but helpful, from helping Yurgen move to showing her places to take pictures that she didn't see. And just watching him now, he just looks like a well-behaved young man.

"Hey Ivar?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Do you have any life goals?"

"I used to, when I was the handmaid of Lady Milla. My life was dedicated to her. Now though, I just feel lost." After a moment of remembering Milla, he asked, "why?"

"Despite not knowing you too long, I can see you being my assistant or manager or something along those lines."

He looked at her shocked and asked, "are you serious?"

She smiled and nodded, "yeah. I do have a deeper reason for taking these pictures than just doing it for fun. I want to share them with the people. I want to do my own part in easing the tension between Rieze Maxia and Elympios."

"What about that boyfriend of yours?" She took a sip of her juice as he asked and she ending up chocking on it. As she began coughing, her cheeks burned. He leaned in closer to her curiously and asked, "what kind of reaction is that?"

She held her hand up as she finished her coughing. After a bit, she rubbed her throat, answering, "not my boyfriend..."

"Are you serious? Then what exactly are you?"

After thinking about it for a moment, she answered, "complicated. The only word that comes to mind and fits, is complicated."

"Whatever..." he says and he leans back in his seat. He then asked again, "whatever the relationship, wouldn't he be the one to work with you?"

"No, not at all. He's got his own career. Right now I'm alone in my endeavor. You don't have to answer now. There's still much of Rieze Maxia to explore."

"I didn't think anyone would ask for my help again."

"Hmm? Why's that? I can tell you're full of potential."

"I knew it!" he exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. He placed his hands on his waist as he stared out at the scenery. For a bit, he nodded to himself as if he was holding a conversation with someone who wasn't there. Afterwords, he looked back at her with a grin. He pointed to himself with his thumb agreed, "whatever you need, I'm t there."

She smiled back at him saying, "thank you."

Kijara Seafalls – Below Falls

Similar to the day prior, the duo left at the break of dawn. The spirit climes made it a bit difficult to do that, especially for Rhea. She's never seen skies that don't change light before. Completely threw off her internal clock. It was thanks to Ivar that they left as early as they did. He was taking the term 'manager' very seriously. Which she does appreciate because more and more each day she just wants to go back to Elympios. For now, they were traveling through the seafalls. About halfway through, they decided to take a break. Mainly because she was mesmerized by the scenery. While she was busy taking pictures, he was setting up their lunch. After a few minutes, he called out to her to ask her what she wanted to drink, but she didn't respond. He looked up from the food, seeing that she was on the phone. Just from her expression, he knew exactly who she was talking to. He shook his head and just chose for her. He knew that if he wanted her attention, he would have to go right up to her. Right as he finished getting everything ready, the air changed. He looked back at her, seeing that she was now off the phone and looking around carefully.

"You sense them too?" she asked him.

He nodded in agreement as he readied his daggers. As soon as she did the same, monsters jumped out from all directions. Her main goal was to keep her camera safe while his was to keep her safe. She was free of the creatures before him since not as many went to her. She looked over, seeing that he was completely surrounded. As quickly as she could, she went over to him and helped him get rid of the rest. When the last one fell prey, the two sat on the cool sand and took a moment to catch their breath.

"You're hurt!" Ivar exclaimed, crawling over to her.

"Huh? I am?" she asked, looking down at herself. Her eyes widened when she saw a huge slash running up her right leg. "What the..?"

Without thinking twice, he picked her up and brought her over to the bags. He carefully put her back down and then quickly opened a bag to get bandages. As he rummaged, her GHS began to ring.

The second she answered it, Alvin's voice cried out from the other end, "what just happened?!"

She dropped the phone at the unexpected volume. While rubbing her ear, she picked it back up with her other hand and pouted to him, "don't scream at me like that..."

"Sorry..."

She smiled a bit and told him, "alright, I'll forgive you."

"Heh... So what happened just now?"

"Some monsters attacked us but we're fine."

He sighed in relief before saying, "I'm glad."

"Worry wort..."

"So anyway, what were you trying to ask me about?"

"Oh, yeah..."

"Rhea?"

"I'm kinda scared to ask."

"What is it?"

"I won't if you don't want me to but... Do you mind if I climbed the Hallomont past Nia Khera?"

"... I take it you found out what happened there?"

"Yeah..."

"Just promise me, stay away from the edge. I don't want to lose you."

Her cheek instantly became red at his words. After messing with her hair she said softly, "I promise..."

"Good..."

"I miss you..."

Right after she said it, she realized what she actually said and her entire face became red. When he didn't respond right away, she ended the call and quickly turned off the device. Ivar was doing his best to not laugh at her. He never expected to see such an awkward side of her. Before he could tease her about it, he could hear his own ring tone going off. He wasn't surprised when he saw the name on the display.

"Hello," he simply said.

"Hand the GHS over," Alvin told him. Instead of simply handing it over, he pressed it against her so that she didn't have to hold it herself. After a moment of silence, his voice came through, "Rhea?"

"Y-yeah..?" she barely squeaked out.

He laughed softly before saying, "I miss you too."

Instantly she felt herself calm down. She held the phone up so that Ivar could rest his arm and she asked, "really?"

"Really really. I miss you falling prey to my tickling."

She burst out laughing at that. Anything remotely silly makes her laugh. As she wiped away a fresh tear she said, "silly boy."

"Well this 'silly boy' has to get back to work. I'll call you later, so turn your phone back on."

"Yeah yeah..."

"Take care."

"You too." After she ended the call, she gave the GHS back to Ivar who was watching her suspiciously. "What?" she asked him, unsure of what he was thinking.

"You sure you're not his girlfriend?"

After a moment, she nodded and answered, "despite how it looks, it's complicated."

"Whatever. Well, the food's completely destroyed thanks to the monsters. Let's just get to Nia Khera. We're almost there. They should be able to fix your leg there too."

"Only question is, how am I supposed to get there without making my leg worse?"

"Uhh..."

He looked around quickly. In getting an idea, he ran off. While waiting for him, she rested her hand over her still beating heart. In her mind, she might as well have confessed completely to him. Especially with how she was acting. The fear of him not being able to look at her always lingers in the back of her mind. They can talk all they want over the GHS because it is just the voice. She's still wearing the scarf, but his scent has completely vanished from it. She had to wash out the blood from the attack at Xian Du which also washed away the cologne. It just came to her that every place she's been to, since entering this nation, she's been attacked in one way or another. With a tired sigh, she lied down on the sand and looked up at the sky. Just a minute later, Ivar came back grinning. She sat up and looked at him seeing that he found a large and sturdy enough stick she could use as a crutch. She stood up and took it from him with a thanks. He quickly picked up the bags and they were on their way again once again.

Nia Khera, Village of Spirits

"Ivar!" a little girl squealed happily as the two approached the small village.

"What? Ivar? Ivar's back!" a villager noticed and quickly went over to him.

Instantly, the two were surrounded by the excited villagers. Rhea just stood there, unsure of what to do. Ivar, on the other hand, was over the moon. He was talking happily with everyone. It didn't take them too long to notice the female accompanying him. Soon enough, the majority of them were staring at her curiously. She simply felt completely awkward. In noticing, Ivar introduced her and explained the situation. A good number of them became disappointed. They were hoping she was his girlfriend. In hearing their pouts, the two looked at each other confused. Just a moment later she just shook her head while he verbally denied it. After the initial shock of the handmaid's return, they all entered the village. The majority went back to whatever they were doing before. One stayed behind to help Rhea with her wound. While Ivar took the bags to his home, the villager took Rhea to a seat. While her leg was getting healed, she looked around the scenery. It wasn't look until her gaze rested upon the Hallowmont. Instantly she felt her heart ache. She wasn't really sure if she wanted to go or not. She tells herself that she doesn't want to so that she doesn't have to worry Alvin. She doesn't want to think about what he'd do if something would happen to her, especially at the same location where Presa died. But at the same time, she feels that if she doesn't take the opportunity now, she'll regret it. She didn't realize she was so deep in thought until Ivar shook her.

"You okay?" he asked her suspiciously.

She nodded telling him, "yeah, sorry about that. So, I take it that's the Hallowmont?"

"Yeah. You wanna go there?"

"Yes."

"Then let's get going."

She looked down at her leg seeing that it was back to normal. Nodding, she stood up and agreed, "let's go."

Nia Khera Hallomont – Summit

Ivar watched Rhea closely. Ever since going through Milla's shrine, she had been acting off. No matter what he would say to her, she wouldn't respond. This was the most determined he's seen her yet and she wasn't even taking pictures. For the life of him, he couldn't read her eyes. Only thing that he could tell was that she wanted to reach the top. However, just before reaching the summit, she completely stopped. She rested her hand over her racing heart. The determination disappeared. He rested his hand on her shoulder and they made eye contact. A second later she sighed deeply and nodded. She lowered her hand from her heart to grasp onto the scarf. Knowing stalling will only make it worse for her, she climbed up the rest of the Hallomont. As they reached they top, she froze in place. Something was telling her to not go any closer to the edge. Still, not wanting to just go back down right away, she sat down and leaned against the rocks.

"I'm going to be here for awhile if you want to go back down," she told him softly.

"You want me to leave?" he asked.

"Please."

"Call me right away if something happens."

"Okay."

He looked at her unsure, but soon did leave. Once he was gone, her eyes locked onto the cliff. She just knew it was here where she fell. As a light breeze blew her hair, she closed her eyes. Just a moment later, she fell asleep.


	9. Calm Before the Storm

Trigleph – Rhea's Apartment

Rain poured onto the unsuspecting city. Citizens were running running around like confused ants, looking for shelter. Only one figure didn't care or seem to even notice the extra moisture in the air. Alvin hasn't left his position for nearly an hour now. He was soaked to the bone. Even if he wanted to move, his feet were unwilling. It was as if he was glue to the bench he was sitting upon. Despite being stationary, his mind was racing. He knew that she was back now. He confirmed it when he saw her silhouette in the window before. It's because of him that she's back at all and he's fully aware of it. But now that she is here, he's terrified. Even though the chance is significantly lower now, he is not fully certain if he'll see the other when they eventually meet face to face. Still, he's grown tired of simply talking to her over the phone. He hasn't called since she came back to Elympios a few days ago. Knowing that she's so close now made him too anxious to make contact. Even now as he sits outside of her apartment complex, he's starting to rather face sickness than her. Multiple sighs slipped out of his mouth as his mind and heart played tug-of-war.

"Alvin..." a soft voice called to him.

His eyes widened, knowing exactly who was calling to him. He wouldn't raise his head to look at her. His gaze was locked on her legs. She knelt down to meet his gaze. The fear overtook him and he automatically leaned back and looked up at the dark clouds. He hated how he was acting, but he couldn't help it. His nerves overtook his senses. He could tell that she moved so that she could sit next to him. He expected her to force him to look at at her. When that didn't happen, he couldn't help but just barely glance at her. Instead of watching him, she was fiddling with a necklace. She took it off and handed it to him, keeping her head down. He took it from her and his eyes widened. Quickly, he reached into his pocket. He, then, pulled out the fox head accessory and compared it to the one she handed to him. They were completely identical.

"Wha- How?" he asked in disbelief.

She nodded and explained, "when I went to the Hallowmont those few weeks ago, I just wanted to see it. I didn't even take pictures. When I got to the top, I got crazy tired out of nowhere and ended up falling asleep. She came to me in my dream. She said that she wanted to know about me. After answering just a few questions, she handed me that and I somehow woke up with it. Sounds completely crazy I know."

He shook his head and asked her, "how do you think I got this one?" He showed her the other one that he got. Her eyebrows furrowed, not expecting it. He explained to her his story of how he got it.

"She really loved you..." she whispered sadly.

He looked down at her when she hunched over. Her clothing and hair were completely soaked from the still pouring rain. She must have felt his gaze on her because she turned just enough for her back to face him. A frown played on his lips from the movement. He instantly realized how he made her feel every single time he looked away. It hurt even more since she's doing it so that he doesn't have to look at her. He couldn't figure out why while he's on the phone he's completely cool but in person he's just a mess and ends up making everything worse. Hesitantly, he moved his free hand to her back. Just before making contact, she stood up. He watched her curiously.

Keeping her back to him, she said, "why don't you go home for now? At this rate we're both going to be sick soon if we stay out here any longer. We can talk later."

He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his fists. Once again, he wanted to get to her, but his feet were still glued to the street. When his heart ached, he reopened his eyes. He looked up seeing that she really was out of sight. His eyes were locked on the front door. He hoped to see her just on the other side, but no matter how long he looked there was no movement. After a bit, he let out a hopeless smile and ran his fingers through his hair. With his fingers still in his hair, he looked up at her window, seeing her shadow moving across the room.

"Screw it," he muttered under his breath.

He finally stood up. He dropped the fox heads into his pocket and entered the building. Walking quickly, he went over to the elevator and pressed the button. Once the car reached ground floor, he got into it. He quickly grew impatient as he waited for it to take him to the fourth floor. The second he heard the ding, he quickly left and went straight over to her door. He took in a deep breath and grabbed onto the door handle. A frown played on his lips as he couldn't help but take notice that the door was unlocked. He opened the door and went inside. He looked around the living room, not seeing her. Hearing some shuffling, he made his way over to the bedroom. There she saw her attempting to peel off her drenched clothing. Her pants were already off and she just got her shirt over her head. Just before she could take off her underwear, he wrapped his arms tightly around her. She completely froze.

He buried his face onto the side of her head and whispered right into her ear, "I'm sorry..." Those simple words sent chills down her spine and her skin became completely covered in goosebumps. He found it quite amusing but continued, "you are constantly in my thoughts. When Gaius took you, I didn't call because I would have been a stupid and yelled at you instead of yelling at myself for pushing you away. I was happier than you know when you told me that you didn't want to be with him."

Before he said anything else, she spoke, "what's the point..?"

"Huh?"

"You can't look me in the eye... Why say all this when you can't even look at me..?"

He growled lightly and forced her to turn around. She nearly fell over from the force, but he held her up. Just before he could look at her for the first time in forever, she covered his eyes with both of her hands out of reflex. He grabbed onto one of her hands and moved it away, but the other stayed in position. By doing the same with the other, he had to let her go. Once free, she turned around just before he could see her. He watched as she put on a robe. After she tied the sash, she turned around. Instead of looking at him however, she walked around him as if he wasn't there at all. He couldn't help but watch her helplessly. Before she left the room, she stopped at the doorway.

Just barely glancing over her shoulder, she told him, "you should take a hot shower or something. If you stay like that too much longer no doubt you'll end up sick. I don't mind drying your clothing if you do."

Without waiting to find out what he was going to do, she left the room. She didn't get to far however. Just after leaving the room, she made a right and stopped at the wall next to the frame. Unable to walk further, she sat down on the floor. From there, she rested her hand over her racing heart and closed her eyes. She held herself back from sighing. She didn't want him to hear her. She couldn't hear anything from in the room either. The apartment was dead silent. The silence broke with a small cry in pain. She moved her hands over to her ankle and opened her eyes to see the soaked boy flat on his stomach. It wasn't hard at all for her to deduce that he tripped over her, especially with the loud thud he made while doing so. He groaned lightly as he sat up. He glanced back at her and frowned when her saw her examining her ankle. He quickly apologized as he turned fully around to look at it. Seeing that it was already changing colors, he picked her up without a second thought. He walked over to the couch and sat her on it. From there, he went over to the fridge and pulled out an icepack from the freezer. He then grabbed a simple dishcloth before going back to her. When he made it back to her, he knelt down. He apologized again when he noticed her already swollen ankle. Being as careful as he could, he wrapped the cooled gel around her ankle and secured it by wrapping the cloth around it. Once finished, he rested his head on her lap. His eyes closed when she began running her fingers through his hair.

"Are you not cold?" she asked him.

He shrugged and answered, "not really thinking about it."

"Silly boy."

He smiled a bit and attempted to raise his head, but she held it down. He frowned once again, but before he could question her she bent over. She awkwardly wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head on his back.

He held on to her the best he could and asked, "what's on your mind?"

"You really want to know?" she asked back.

"Yes."

"I don't want you to push me away again. Even if that means that we never make eye contact again. Just because she's no longer with us doesn't mean that your heart doesn't belong to her. If something were to happen to me I-"

"Don't."

"Huh?"

"Don't let even the idea of something happening to you cross your mind. When I heard about the attack at Kanbalar, the one place I thought you'd be safe. But what happened at Xian Du, it took ever fiber of my being to stay here for work. With how Yurgen and Ivar described your injuries to me, I I wanted to throw up. If anything else were to happen, especially if I'm now able to prevent it I might just go crazy."

She tightened her grasp on him and whispered, "I'm sorry for worrying you..."

"Please, let me look at you."

"Are you sure..?"

"Yes."

After a moment, she reluctantly let him go as he did the same. Slowly, she sat up. She subconsciously clenched her jaw as she glanced down at him nervously. By the time she was watching him, he reopened his eyes. Not wanting to hesitate any longer, he raised his head off her lap and looked up at her. If a pin were to fall on the first floor right now, they would no doubt hear it. There was more tension now than when he pushed her away before. A good minute passed by before there was any movement between them. When the time finally did pass, he couldn't help but smirk in amusement.

As she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, he told her, "breathe."

With a frown, feeling embarrassed, she reached over and flicked his forehead. He arched his eyebrow, surprised at her reaction. Before she could do anything else, he reached over and began tickling her. She instantly began to burst out in laughter. Try all she might to get away, he was holding her still with his other arm. However, because he wouldn't relent, she continuously fought against him. So, it wasn't too surprising that she ended up falling off the couch and landing on his lap. He stopped tickling her and instead used that hand to brush the hair that was on her face away. When the last bit was out of the way, he left his hand in her hair. With his thumb, he gently rubbed her cheek. He smirked once more as a blush appeared on her cheeks. It disappeared quickly enough though as he turned his head away quickly so that he wouldn't sneeze on her. She frowned and quickly got herself back on the couch so that he could get up.

"I should have listened to you," he said as he rubbed his nose.

"You still might not actually get sick if you hurry up. Go take a hot shower and I will dry your clothes."

"I guess."

"You want to get sick?"

"Hmm... Not really, but the idea of you taking care of me is very intriguing."

"Yeah well, I don't know if I'll be any decent at that currently with what you did to my ankle."

He frowned for a bit but then said, "guess I'll just have to get sick another time then."

"Why do you have to be sick? If you want me to baby you, just say so," she said as she patted the top of his head.

He tightened his grasp on her and whispered, "you're too good to me..."

"Dude, you're freezing!" she squeaked.

"You win," he said as he stood up.

"Just leave your clothes outside the bathroom."

"You got it," he said as he left the living room.

The moment he was out of sight, her smile vanished. She rose her left leg so that it crossed over her right. Looking through the makeshift bandage, she could see that her ankle changed from her normal pale color and is now dark purple. Thanks to the icepack, the swelling was minimal but it didn't completely numb the pain. While holding onto it, she looked around in hopes to find something she could use as a crutch. A frowned played on her lips as none were to be found. It wasn't too long until she heard the shower turn on. Not really having much of a choice, she uncrossed her legs and got up on her good foot. She hopped over to the wall and used it to make it slightly easier for her to reach the bedroom. She picked up the damp clothing from outside the bathroom and went back over to the hallway. She threw the clothes into a small dryer and turned it on. In feeling a chill of her own, she finally noticed how wet her robe got from when he held her. She went back to the bedroom and went over to the dresser. She took off the robe and pulled out pajamas. She quickly put them on to warm back up. Feeling more at ease as the goosebumps vanished, she put her hair up into a messy bun. Once she finished, she heard the water turn off. In just to have something out, she hopped over to the kitchen. She picked up a tea kettle and filled it with water. Once it was full, she put it on the stove top and turned on the flame. While waiting for it to boil she took out a couple cups for the cabinet. While looking through the various teabags that were on the counter, an arm wrapped around her shoulders. With his free hand, he reached over and grabbed two of the leaves from the packaging. While he was doing so, she couldn't help but notice that his arms were bare. Way too curious, she couldn't help but glance back at him. A blush appeared on her cheeks at his attire of simply a towel around his neck and another around his waist.

He smirked and whispered into her ear, "where exactly you looking?"

She quickly looked away from him and brought her attention back to the tea. He chuckled softly and rested his head against hers. He wrapped his now free arm around her waist. While waiting for the water to get hot, she leaned into his embrace and held onto the arm that was around her shoulders. He smirked and rested his chin on her head. Less than a minute later, a whistle blew from the teapot. He let her go so that she could move freely. She heard him leave the room as she turned the heat off. Nearly falling over from doing so, she knelt down and took a tray from the bottom cabinet. Once stable, she put the tray on the counter. After putting everything needed on the tray however, she realized that she was in trouble. She really didn't have the ability to carry the tea to the living area without dropping it all when hopping across. In not hearing any sign of Alvin though, she chose the worst case scenario. She picked up the tea, turned around, and put her body weight on her bruised ankle. The amount of pain that shot through her made her feel lightheaded. The tray somehow stayed in her grasp but she felt her own self plummeting to the floor. Before she fell too far, strong arms held her up. Not a moment later, she found herself air born.

"You don't need to do everything by yourself anymore. I was right around the corner. Call me next time before you do something foolish," Alvin scolded her.

She looked up at him with a small pout and spoke softly, "I'm sorry..."

He frowned and looked away asking, "why don't you ever let me get mad at you?"

"Most likely the same reason that I can't get angry at you."

He tightened his grasp on her and made his way to the living room. He carefully sat her on the couch and she placed down the tray that she miraculously didn't spill. Before he sat down, he couldn't help but noticed a good number of bags right next to the front door. He frowned a bit and looked down at the unaware female. She was simply pouring the hot water into the cups and put the bags in afterwards to make the tea.

"Hey..." he spoke softly. When she looked up at him, he asked, "are you planning on leaving again?"

"Hm?" For a moment she wasn't sure what he meant. When he looked back at the bags she explained, "ah, oh no. Those are for you."

"Huh?"

"Take a look," she told him, putting her attention back to the tea.

With a shrug, he walked over to the bags and knelt down. Once his back was to her, she couldn't help but watch him with anticipation. She couldn't help but watch him anyway. Even though he did put on his pants, he was definitely not wearing a shirt. Before she overlooked at the sight, his eyes widened. She smiled at his excitement over the materials she found for him while going through Rieze Maxia. He quickly checked through the multitude of bags, seeing all different types of items. After zipping them back up so that nothing would spill, he stood back up and made his way back over to her. He picked her up just so that he could sit down, with her sitting between his legs. Once settled, he wrapped his arms securely around her and rested his head against hers. She closed her eyes and held onto his arms.

"You are amazing," he told her.

"I know," she said smugly.

He shook his head saying, "silly girl."

"Well this 'silly girl' is wondering if you want some tea before it gets too cold."

"Sure."

She nodded and attempted to reach for it. However, he wouldn't let her go. Instead, he removed only one of his arms and reached forward. He grabbed one of the two cups and handed it over to her. After she grabbed it, he took the other one for himself and leaned back against the couch. He moved his arm that is around her to her waist so that she would have full use of her arms. While drinking the tea, she turned on the television so that there wouldn't be any awkward silence. It wasn't too long until the pot was empty. As he put down the cup, he couldn't help but let out a loud yawn. Before she could suggest anything, he picked her up just enough so that she would no longer be between his legs. Now free, he simply lied down on the couch and rested his head on her lap. She chuckled softly as she began to run her fingers through his hair. His eyes instantly shut. Even though he fell asleep rather quickly, she continuously played with his hair. When she knew for a fact that he was unconscious, she completely lost her composure. Tears quickly streamed down her cheeks. She was just so happy that he finally acknowledged her, that when no longer holding back, she just couldn't control her emotions. It now took everything she had to hold back an audible cry. She was just able to wipe her tears away with her free hand before they fell on him. She didn't want to take any chance of him waking up and seeing her like this. Not too much time passed before the tears ceased. Once they did, she found herself feeling completely exhausted. She was out cold in just mere moments.

"Rhea?" Alvin questioned softly.

"Hm..?" Rhea grunted, half asleep.

"You're so cute."

"Alvin..?"

"Yeah?"

She buried her face in his chest and held onto him tightly. Speaking in a small voice, "I was so scared you being here was a dream..."

He tightened his grasp on her saying, "you're not leaving my side again."

"I'm glad..." Once she was more awake, she noticed that the scenery has changed. "How did we get here?"

"When I woke up I noticed that you were asleep so I just carried you to bed."

"Oh." For a little while, no words were exchanged. The silence ended when she remembered the day prior. She backed away enough from him so that she could look up at him. After resting her hand on his forehead she questioned, "how are you feeling?"

"Just fine."

"You got lucky then."

"Oh, I'm very aware," he replied as he ran his fingers through her hair. She blushed and reburied her face in his chest. He chuckled a bit and asked, "hiding from me by using me as a hiding place?"

"Well, it's not like I can get away from you anyway."

"Got that right."

After a moment she asked, "dare I ask?"

"Ask away."

"Do you have work to do?"

"Nah. I got so much done while you were gone that I really don't have to do anything for a few days while Yurgen checks over everything."

She couldn't help but laugh a little. He pushed her from him so that he could look at her. She looked up at him with a smile. Without giving her a chance to react any farther, he began tickling her. She quickly rolled over and covered herself with the blanket. He couldn't help but find herself amused at her attempt to hide. He could easily see her form outline. He grabbed onto her shoulder through the blanket and pushed her onto her back. With his other hand, he lowered the blanket enough so that her face was exposed. She was instantly entranced by him. Even if he wasn't holding her down, she wouldn't be able to move in the least. Her cheeks flared when he rested his hand on the side of her face. It surprised her how such a simple act made her heart pound as strongly as it is. When his lips were a millimeter away from hers, he froze. She didn't dare move in the least. With how strongly her heart was pounding, simply breathing became a difficult task. After a moment, he groaned lightly and buried his face on the side of her head. In being careful not to crush her, he let his entire form lay on hers so that he could hold onto her.

"Do I still bother you?" she asked softly.

"No, it's not that," he answered.

"Then what? You used to have zero reservations when it came to kissing me."

"I won't be able to control myself."

"So?"

"I don't want to defile you."

"Get off me."

"Huh?"

She pushed against him gently through the blanket as she repeated herself. He rolled off of her. She freed herself of the blanket and got out of bed. Silently, she limped into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. He stared at the door confused. After a moment, he lied back down. He rubbed his face while sighing heavily. Afterwords, his arms fell to his sides and he just looked up at the ceiling. The sound of a knock snapped him back to reality. He raised his head and looked over at the bathroom. The shock of what he saw hit him hard enough to make him fall off the bed. Laughter filled the room soon after. He quickly got back up on his knees and looked back at the bathroom seeing her laughing her ass off. He really didn't care about that though for that wasn't what took him completely for a loop. Her appearance was completely different than just a few minutes ago. She went from wearing fully covering pajamas to wearing nothing but his scarf. She let her hair down from the bun so that, along with the scarf, she was just barely covering herself. When he was able to get back on his feet, he approached her.

"This good enough for you?" she asked him.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath.

He picked her up only to drop her on the bed. Not a moment later he was right back on top of her. To her surprise, he wasn't doing anything. Just like before, he was staring down at her. She smiled a bit and rested her hand on his cheek. He turned his head so that he could kiss it.

"I love you," she told him. He looked back down at her and she explained, "trust me, I wouldn't do this for just anyone."

Unable to hold himself back any longer, he placed his lips upon her own.


	10. Close Call

Trigleph – Rhea's Apartment

Months of pure bliss sped by. Ever since having a face to face conversation again, Alvin and Rhea have been stuck together like glue. They simply couldn't get enough of each other. On the days that he would work, he left last minute and the second he was done he was right back with her. She ended up moving in with him since his place was a little bigger. She had kept her own apartment still. After being convinced by Leia, so that she could possibly use them for her articles, Rhea developed a large quantity of her photos. In needing a place for them, she pretty much used the apartment as a studio. And it was the only excuse that she had to even leave her new home. She was enjoying playing housewife since it came so naturally to her after taking care of her mother her entire life. Life was seeming too perfect for them. So, of course, it was due time for something to go wrong.

"Damn it!" Alvin shouted, punching a wall.

"Come on Alvin, there has to be a clue somewhere," Jude attempted to console his friend.

He ran his fingers through his hair, ready to simply pull a chunk right off his head. He then spoke angrily, "go ahead and take a look in this mess because I certainly couldn't find a single damn thing."

As he began to search, he spoke calmly, "tell me exactly what happened."

"I already told you, I don't know!"

"Alvin! You're not going to help her until you calm down!" Jude scolded.

"... Won't change the fact that I still don't know. All I can say is that she's been acting weird recently and she wouldn't tell me anything. Damn it... I should have made her talk."

"We'll get her back."

With a sigh, Alvin slid down the wall and sat on the floor. He watched his friend search through the destroyed apartment. He knew there was no chance in the least but still hoped that he would find something. Subconsciously, he was holding onto a wristwatch that Rhea had given him. She called it a 'welcome home' gift even though she had moved in with him. He smiled a bit as he remembered that day, only to lose it soon after. His heart ached at the realization that he had zero idea of where she was. He desperately tried to figure out a way to find her, but he simply couldn't think of anything. When all hope seemed lost to him, a familiar ring tone made him jump to his feet. As he attempted to get his GHS out of his pocket, he ended up dropping it as he fumbled. He ended up using both of his hands to hold up the phone to his ear so that he wouldn't drop it again.

He expected himself to be shouting the instant the connection was made but his voice betrayed him. All he could muster was a whisper, "Rhea..?"

An even softer whisper came through, "hey..."

"Where are you?"

"I don't know... It's really dark."

"Can you move around?"

After a sharp wince she told him, "my head hurts too much to move..."

"Damn it... What happened to you?"

"I don't really know. One moment I was looking at some pictures, then the next I'm in a cave with a pounding headache."

"Cave?" he asked quickly, looking over at the watchful Jude.

"I don't know for sure. The ground is dirt, I'm surrounded by rocks. I can hear water nearby."

"Anything else? Did you see who it was that did this?"

"I can't remember."

"Well... Do what you can to take care of yourself until I find you."

"As long as you don't get reckless."

"Yeah yeah."

"Wait... I'm hearing someone," she spoke in a much softer voice.

"What? Who?" When she didn't answer, he instantly became worried once again. "Rhea?"

She wouldn't respond to him. However, he did pick up foreign voices. He was unable to really understand what they were saying. Despite that, he was able to get the gist of it. It seemed that they wanted her camera, but she refused to give the location of it. He felt his blood boil when he heard her grunt, no doubt she was hit. Jude had no idea what to do. All he could do at this point is watch his friend become angrier by the second. He was surprised that the GHS wasn't broken yet by how tightly it was being held. But, he can't say that he was surprised when he heard him curse Exodus under his breath. Alvin began to pace once more as his impatience grew. He stopped soon enough when he finally heard what he needed. Without a second thought, he left the apartment.

In knowing he was being followed he spoke only two words, "Tatalian Abyss!"

The two were out of the building in light speed. As they passed down the streets, passerbyers had to jump out of the way so they wouldn't get trampled. Jude did his best to apologize but Alvin couldn't give two shits. He didn't even care that he was running out of breath. He was running off of pure rage. They passed through Helioborg so quickly that they barely even paid it mind. Before they knew it, they found themselves at the entrance of the abyss. They took a moment to catch their breath as they glanced inside. Nothing seemed to be amiss. At the same time, the air felt different. They unsheathed their weapons and ventured inside. Cautiously, they made their way deep inside the abyss. They began to feel disconcerted when, after going down a couple different levels, they saw no sign of anyone. The only way to contain his boiling blood was by cutting down the monsters that dared get in his way. They weren't there quite yet, but they were nearing the end of the cavern. Before they began to lose hope, shouts echoed from down the tunnel leading to the depths. They slowed their pace a s they finally saw a difference. After seeing multiple Exodus agents, they hugged the wall so that they wouldn't be seen. However, when a certain female voice rang out, Alvin lost his mind. He broke away from Jude, against his protests, and approached the mob. There he finally saw her. Rhea was barely on her feet. Her left arm seemed to be broken and she was holding it with her left. Her clothes were torn and bloodied. Only her expression had any strength to it. Her glare and snarl kept the group at bay. That, and also that she was right at the edge of the cliff. If she were to take one step back, she would fall. For a bit he watched helplessly. He couldn't figure out a way to get to her without taking a chance of her plummeting to her death. That's when she noticed him. Her eyes widened, not expecting to see him. The Exodus members that were closest to her saw the opportunity and reached for her. Out of reflex, she jumped back. Her scream echoed through the cavern. His eyes widened and his mouth went dry. In feeling his heart in his throat, he ran to the group. He pushed right through them, not giving a simple damn if he hurt them. He dropped his weapons when he got to the edge. He then got down to his knees and looked down.

"Rhea?!" he exclaimed.

She looked up at him with a tired smile and softly spoke, "hey..."

She was just barely clinging onto the wall. Her right hand was just barely clinging onto a narrow ridge while her shoes caught another. Her left arm was limp to her side. He knew time was limited with how badly she was shaking. What was worse was that she was out of his reach. To get her he would need Jude's help. The help would need to wait. A couple Exodus members grabbed onto him and forcefully pulled him away. His companion would have helped if he wasn't busy fighting off the members at the back of the group. One of the members was about to stomp his skull in of the downed one, but his foot froze midair. He couldn't see his expression since his foot was in the way. However, a gun that was pointed right between his eyes made him hesitate. Taking advantage of that, Alvin jumped to his feet and pressed the barrel against his forehead. The thin helmet wouldn't prove helpful at all at such a range. He kept the others at bay with his sword.

Completely consumed by rage, he growled, "give me one reason why I shouldn't shoot you right now so that your comrades won't get covered in your brain matter..."

"You don't have what it takes," the member hissed back.

He pressed the barrel harder against the helmet while taking off the safety. Not feeling such anger in so long, he barely held him back from beheading them all in less than a minute. "Don't test me," he warned.

"Tch... She took a picture of something that wasn't supposed to be seen. We just wanted to get the damned camera. That damned bitch-"

His eyes widened at the wording. If it wasn't for Jude raising his arm last moment, he really would have shot him. The bullet instead ricocheted against the cave wall. He looked back at him furiously.

Jude spoke calmly so that he wouldn't be socked, "she's barely hanging on Alvin. Don't waste your energy on him."

He did calm down for a bit, but before anything else, he hit the member with the butt of the gun with great strength. It was only when he fell over from unconsciousness that he noticed that every other member was already down for the count. He quickly put down his weapons and went back over to the edge. He frowned deeply when he saw that her form was shaking horribly. Her nails were attempting to dig into the rocky ledge. Jude rested his hand on his shoulder to get his attention.

When looking over, Jude describe his plan, "lower me down to her. I should be able to reach her that way and then you can pull us both up."

"Are you sure?" he asked back, not wanting to risk his friend's safety.

"We don't have time."

"Damn it... Alright."

The younger nodded and took off his coat so that it wouldn't be in the way. After doing so, he knelt down at the edge and explained the plan to the panicked female. She did her best to nod while readjusting her grip. Once the two were completely ready, Alvin grabbed onto Jude's ankles with a very secure grasp. Cautiously, the smaller was lowered down the cliff side. Alvin didn't even dare look down. He simply followed his directions to a tee. He was too afraid that the second he'd look down he would freak out and not only lose Rhea but also Jude. His hands were already slick with sweat. He had to lower himself so much that he was lying on his front. He could just barely hear the two talk to each other about how he would get her, especially with her limp arm. The very moment the weight doubled, Alvin used every muscle he had to pull them back up. As soon as he got back to his knees he knew he had it. Gritting his teeth, he raised them both back onto the ground. For nearly a minute, the trio simply rested on their backs and concentrated on catching their breaths. Rhea, just really needing comfort, inched over to Alvin. When she was close enough, she rested her head on his chest. He held onto her and sat up. His heart began to pound once more when he saw how she was hurt. She had multiple cuts all over her. No wound was too deep but she still had to be in great pain. Before studying further, Jude made his way over to them. He studied her motionless arm.

"It's not broken, but it's dislocated. I'm going to have to set it," he explained.

"Can you do it now..?" she asked weakly.

"Are you sure?"

"I still have adrenaline going through me..."

"Okay." He looked up at Alvin and instructed him, "hold her still."

He frowned but nodded. He readjusted his grasp on her and turned her head so that her face was against his chest. At least this way she wouldn't see what was going on. She loosely wrapped her good arm around him.

Just before pain filled her, she whispered, "my GHS..."

"Huh? What was that? What about it?" Alvin asked.

"It's behind the pill-ah!"

Jude took advantage of her talking. While she was at her more distracted state, he set her shoulder. A sharp gasp cut off her sentence. The couple tightened their grasps on each other as searing pain shot through her. Tears sprung from her tightly shut eyes. To help ease some of the pain, Jude used his healing powers to seal up her injuries. By the time he finished, the female slipped into unconsciousness. Alvin moved his leg so that he could prop her against it while he took off his scarf. In being careful with her arm, he wrapped the yellow fabric around her limb to create a makeshift sling. Once he finished, he held onto her securely. His heart was finally at rest but the fear was still lingering. He simply can't figure out why he has to keep witnessing people falling off ledges. He wanted to just take her home but he he knew that he couldn't leave. He glanced over at Jude who was studying the group of downed agents. They both knew it was only a matter of time now until they wake up.

"There's no other way, is there?" Jude pondered.

"Not that I can see," Alvin responded.

"Do you know any of them?"

"Heh... Doesn't matter if I did or not. They knew exactly who they were toying with. In order to get her, they had to study her movements for awhile. They made sure to get her when she was most vulnerable. I don't give a shit what happens to them."

Sighing deeply, the younger nodded as he pulled out his GHS. It didn't take him long to get in contact with Chancellor Marcia. Alvin could only guess it was props of his profession to be able to get in contact with someone like her so easily. The conversation didn't last too long. Jude glanced back at him over his shoulder and gave him a silent nod. Alvin nodded back. No more words traded between them. Within only a few minutes, agents led by the chancellor appeared. The Exodus group was beginning to stir right as they appeared. Marcia approached Jude while her agents took away the Exodus ones. Alvin stood up with Rhea in his arms when the two looked over at him.

"This woman seems familiar," Marcia pondered as she approached.

"She told me how she met you at the Spirius gathering for the new president," Alvin explained.

"Ah yes, that's right. So what is the story here?" Alvin told her all he knew, which really wasn't much. When he finished she requested, "when she's up to it, have her give me a call so that we can get to the bottom of this."

"Of course."

"Until then."

With a nod, the chancellor left with her escort. Once she was out of sight, he looked back at Jude. A frown played on his lips seeing that he was looking down the bottomless pit. Cautiously, he approached him. When he got close enough to see his face, he couldn't help but notice that his skin was shades paler.

"My coat fell," Jude spoke softly.

As he tightened his grasp on Rhea, Alvin told him, "let's get out of here before anything else falls."

"Y-yeah...Right."

The duo left the abyss without exchanging a single word. They were both exhausted. They both simply wanted to reach their respective homes and stay there. Jude couldn't quite do that. As they passed through Helioborg, he had to part ways to finish up some documents. Alvin, on the other hand, couldn't give less than a damn about work. Even if Yurgen were to be hassling him, he wouldn't listen. Multiple times as he made his way back home, he looked down at the resting girl in his arms. He hated not knowing the story that led to today. He was more worried than anything though. Even though she was unconscious, her expression read pain. It really bothered him because he knew that Jude healed her wounds. He lifted her up enough so that he could rest his forehead on hers. He frowned when hers felt way warmer than his. Curses escaped him as he increased his pace.

Soon enough he returned home. As soon as he kicked the front door shut behind him, he locked every lock he hand on the door. He nearly hit her head on the wall to do so. He could tell his arms were at their limit with how badly they were shaking. In being very aware of his exhaustion, he quickly went into the bedroom and laid her down as gently as he could. He sighed deeply as he shook his arms to relieve them of the tension. He looked down at her after he finished. Her expression still read that she was in pain, but he really didn't know what to do about it while she's sleeping. What he can do though is clean her up. With all the dried blood and dirt, she was completely filthy. Being very careful, he removed her ripped clothing. He did leave her underwear on so that his mind would behave. He could feel himself getting sick from the amount of dried blood that was on her. Before he let it get to him too badly, he went into the bathroom. He picked up a bucket usually used for cleaning and filled it with warm, soapy water. While the bucket filled, he grabbed a couple different cloths. After turning off the tap, he brought the items next to the bed. In needing a place to sit down, he moved the chair over from the desk and put it down right next to the bucket. He picked up the cloth he already had in the bucket and wrung it out. Very gently, he began with her forehead. She groaned in response which made him freeze. When she showed no signs of waking up, he continued. Because he was being as careful as he could, the time raced by. He could feel himself nodding off by the time he got to her stomach. Just before reaching her knees, he was out cold.

He awoke in the middle of the night in a start. His heart instantly began to pound when he noticed Rhea was no longer in bed. He knew that it was the sound of glass breaking that awoke him. He jumped to his feet and nearly fell flat on his face from tripping over the bucket. Only reason it didn't spill was that the water was already soaked into the carpet. In hearing a noise from the doorway, he bolted to the front of the apartment. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face it was so dark. The windows usually give enough light to see the outlines. After a few seconds of feeling the wall, he found a light switch. The very moment he flipped it on, a cry came out of the kitchen. He strained his eyes to see that Rhea was kneeling on the floor, holding her head with her good arm. She had a robe on but it was open. In front of her was a broken glass. The worrying quickly turned into anger.

"What the hell Rhea?!" Alvin nearly shouted. "How many times do I have to tell you to ask me if you need help?! I'm getting sick of this!"

Not a word came from her in defense. All she did was hold her head tighter and begin to shake. He sighed deeply and ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to calm down. He just watched her, trying to figure out her train of thought. After a few seconds of observing her, she began to move. She reached over next to her and opened a cabinet. She blindly reached inside since she kept her head lowered. Her hair was covering her face so he couldn't see. She pulled out a large mixing bowl while knocking others onto the floor. The moment she had the bowl in front of her, she puked in it. He frowned and approached her, being careful of the broken glass. He sat next to her and moved her hair so that nothing would get in it. He felt guilty the moment he saw her face. Her cheeks were covered in tears. They were now falling into the bowl at a rapid rate. Her eyes were closed tightly. The moment she finished emptying her stomach, she curled back up. He moved the bowl to the other side of the room so that it wouldn't spill. He, then, stood up and left the kitchen. He came back right after with a broom and dustpan. In not wanting to see her get hurt again, he swept up all the glass. He left the room with the dustpan, not wanting to put the glass in a container it could rip up. By the time he was back in the kitchen, Rhea was on her feet. She was hunched over the sink, drinking water straight from the tap. He couldn't help but notice how badly her form was shaking. For a bit he just watched her, trying to figure out her train of thought. Thirst. That was the only thing obvious. Her mouth didn't move away from the running water for a good minute. When that time passed, her head moved so that the back of it was getting wet. He frowned and approached her frail form.

"Rhea?" he questioned softly.

"Please don't move me..." she weakly begged.

His frown deepened. In wanting to comfort her the best he saw how, he held onto her hand that was motionless on the counter top. He lifted it up high enough so that he could kiss the back of it. She weakly held onto his.

"Can you help me to the bathroom? My legs won't last much longer..." she asked.

"Sure thing."

He didn't know what else to do besides complete her whims. He grabbed a freshly cleaned towel and turned off the tap. He wrapped the towel around her hair so it wouldn't drip everywhere. She straightened up a bit, but she was still bent a bit. He offered to carry her but she refused not wanting to throw up again from the sudden movement. He wrapped his arm around her waist only to get a horrible feeling. He rested his hand on her forehead to check her temperature. Despite it being wet, her skin was burning to the touch. Feeling even more like a jerk for yelling at her, he escorted her to the restroom. He turned the light on in the small room. She groaned and pulled the towel down so that it was covering her eyes. He turned on a nightlight and turned the main light off. Breaking away from him, she walked deeper inside and sat on the floor next to the tub. She reached over to turn the water, but he held onto her hand to stop her.

"Alvin..?" she questioned weakly.

"I'm sorry, I just really want to check your temperature first."

"Hurry up..."

He nodded and stood back up. He opened the medicine cabinet and took out a thermometer. He knelt back next to her and called out to her. She glanced over at him. He smiled sadly and handed her the device. She took it from him and put it right in her mouth. As they waited, he proposed taking her to the hospital. He could feel the heat emitting from her. She silently refused. She slowly shook her head at every question relating to the hospital. Despite refusing his ideas, she really wanted his comfort. Very carefully she leaned over and rested her head on his chest. He closed his eyes and held onto her. While trying to figure out what to do, the thermometer beeped. He pulled it out of her mouth and strained his eyes to read the result. He felt his own stomach churn when he saw that she was over one-hundred degrees.

"Can you take off your watch..?" she asked.

He stared at he confused for a bit but did so. She grabbed onto it and fiddled with it a bit. After a little time, she gave it back to him. He studied it the best he could, but didn't see anything different about it. He looked back down at her even more confused. She handed over her hand once more. He dropped the watch in his pocket and opened his hand to her. She dropped a smaller onto it. He recognized what it was instantly. It was one of the memory cards to her camera.

"Whatever Exodus wants is on it..." she explained.

"What is it that you took a picture of?" he asked.

"I don't know... Maybe you can take it to Marcia and she can figure it out..."

"Best in her hands anyway."

"..."

"Rhea?"

"Please don't let it get damaged..."

"Wait... Is this the same card that has your parents' pictures on it?"

"Yeah..."

"I get it now."

"Hmm..."

He rested his chin on her head, just wanting to give her comfort. He could tell that she wanted to move over to the tub to put her head back underwater but he kept his grasp firm. She was already sick, he didn't want her to get sicker. She groaned to show her that she was uncomfortable, but he wouldn't give in. He pressed her head gently against his chest, knowing that the sound of his heartbeat has the capability of calming her down. His frown grew when he could feel her begin to sweat. She gave up fighting against him, not having the energy to do so. As he sat there, he couldn't help but think about what has progressed in one single day from her suddenly vanishing to her currently with an unknown sickness. He just couldn't figure out why all the females in his life keep falling off cliffs. Thinking about how close he was to losing her again made him feel uneasy. If Jude didn't go with him, he didn't want to even think about where'd he be at this moment. He owed him so much. He suddenly found himself thinking about his past journeys, before meeting Rhea. And that's when it hit him. He took out his GHS and quickly dialed a number. From what she could understand, he was talking to Jude's father. Apparently the father was refusing to help. Alvin, desperate for the help, begged him. He probably would have been on his hands and knees if they were in front of the doctor. She wanted to hold onto him, but all she could muster was barely grasping onto the front of his shirt. He secured his grasp on her and buried his face in her hair. After one more 'please', the doctor gave in. Very soon after, he put his device back in his pocket. Carefully, he helped her get to her feet and brought her back to the bedroom. He placed her down on the bed so carefully it was light he was carrying a fine glass statuette. With her back to the bathroom door, he turned the light on in it so that he could see in the bedroom. She glanced down at the soaked carpet, remembering what had happened eariler.

"I tried..." she whispered.

"Huh?" he asked back, approaching her.

"You wouldn't wake up... I tried calling you, shaking you... Tripping over the bucket didn't wake you..."

His eyes widened as guilt hit him like a ton of brinks. He knelt down and buried his face in her lap. When she rested her hand on it, he responded, "I'm sorry. I'm such a dumb ass."

"Mmm... Yes... But I love your dumb ass..."

He smiled and looked back up at her. He kissed her only to frown. "You are seriously burning up..." he spoke sadly.

"Mhmm..."

"So, I'm going to help you change into some clothing and we're out of here."

"At this hour..?"

"We're going to Rieze Maxia so it'll be okay."

"Okay..."

He grabbed some random clothes and helped her change into them carefully enough. She really disliked the fact that he put a coat on her, but it had a hood that would help block the light for her. As soon as they were ready, he knelt back down so that her back was to her. If he can't carry her in his arms, he'll have to do it this way. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let her body weight rest on his back. He grabbed onto her legs and slowly stood up, not wanting to make her dizzy. Once they were both steady, he was on his way.

Leronde – Mathis Clinic

Alvin let out a sigh in great relief as he walked up to the door of the clinic. However, when he tried to open it, he couldn't help but notice that it was locked. He knew that even though he got to the location at record speed, it was late here now. Despite that, he pounded on the door. He was too desperately impatient to wait until the morning. Rhea has been in and out of consciousness since leaving his home. She felt like he had a heater on his back. Despite her temperature, she had been shivering the past couple hours. She couldn't seem to get warm enough. Despite the shivers, she was completely drenched in sweat. Even after he banged on the door multiple times, he cursed under his breath. Not knowing what else to do, he very carefully laid her down on the bench on the porch. She curled up instantly into a fetal position to keep warm. He took off his damp jacket from her sweat and laid it on her. Afterwards, he sat down in front of her. He held onto her clenched hand and kissed it. He left his lips on it and rested his head on the bench. His exhaustion had caught up with him. He didn't want to know how badly he looked. His heavy eyelids closed down like iron gates. Just before falling asleep, he felt her hand loosen. Soon, their fingers were entangled.

Feeling like he really needed to at this point, for the first time ever he told her, "I love you."

She tightened her grasp just a bit and said, "love you..."


End file.
